


Aftermath

by Kentucky_Wallflower



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Angst, Barry Allen - Freeform, Caitlin Snow - Freeform, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engaged, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Iris West - Freeform, Joe West - Freeform, Love, POV Third Person, Power Discovery, Sweet, The Flash - Freeform, barry x iris, cisco ramon - Freeform, fake Wells, friends - Freeform, westallen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9631148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kentucky_Wallflower/pseuds/Kentucky_Wallflower
Summary: What would have happened if Barry and Iris were already in an established relationship when the events of 1x01 happened? If Joe hadn't raised Barry? If Iris had been the one to know about Barry's powers before Joe? This is a retelling of season one, with just a few little differences.This story will contain A LOT of WestAllen in later chapters! :)This is a companion story to "Competent," though you can read this fic without having read that one first.





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> A follow up story to "Competent." You don't have to read "Competent" to understand this, but I'd recommend reading it anyway if you love WestAllen!
> 
>  
> 
> Please leave some Kudos and Comments if you read and enjoy this. I'd love to talk to some of you guys and hear what you think. :)

She sat in the small uncomfortable green vinyl hospital chairs. The coffee cup which she clutched between her hands for warmth was left untouched. Her father had gotten it for her, knowing she was hurting far too much to drink it, yet still feeling the urge to do something to comfort his daughter. The tears on Iris’ face had dried up, her mascara leaving little dark smudges beneath her eyes. She felt utterly helpless, and all she could do was sit there in her chair, her body numb with fear and grief. When she had woken up this morning, this was not how she had been expecting her day to end, and up until a few hours ago it had just been like any other normal day.  

But then the particle accelerator was turned on at S.T.A.R. Labs, and everything went to hell.  

She had been working a late shift at CC Jitters, taking orders and waiting tables, when the lights began flickering from the storm. Everyone in the café paused, glancing up as the first lights dimmed for a brief moment. There was a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lightning from outside, and everybody returned back to their business, passing it off as a freak occurrence. Until the cafés power went out completely. It didn’t take long for the emergency sirens to start screeching in the distance after that, and for everyone to start getting scared. One frightened customer who had been watching the news on her laptop informed the manager that the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator had exploded as a result of the storm.  

The next several minutes were a blur of panic as customers called to check on there loved ones, and the Jitters staff rushed about trying their best to ease the customers worries, reassuring them that they would be safe as long as they remained in the building until the storm passed and the authorities gave the word that all was safe. The employees each took turns calling their loved ones as well, and when Iris finally got the chance to do so, she was not in the slightest bit reassured.  

She called Barry first. Three times she called her fiancé, and three times he didn’t answer and she was sent directly to voice mail. So she resolved to call and check on her father next. If he answered she would first check to make sure that he was okay, and then she would ask about Barry. She knew they were both scheduled to work at the CCPD tonight. If Barry wouldn’t answer, she’d have her father give her some reassurance. Three tries later, and she hadn’t had any luck with getting a response from her dad either. After trying both Barry and her dad one more time with no response, she was just about to say screw it and drive down to check on them in person when her phone began ringing.  

It was a number she instantly recognized, but did nothing to comfort her. Iris felt her heart sinking just a little bit deeper as she hit the answer call button. If Captain Singh was calling her, she knew it couldn’t mean anything good. 

“Hello?” she asked cautiously, trying her best to keep her voice from breaking.  

“Iris, it’s Captain David Singh.” The voice on the other end answered somberly.  

“Is my dad okay? Is Barry alright? What’s going on?”  

She could hear the captain sigh on the other end of the call, and she could practically imagine him running a hand over his tired face as he responded, trying his best to keep his voice calm and soothing. “He’s fine, Iris. You’re dad is just fine.” 

It did not escape Iris’ attention that he had failed to broach the topic of her fiancé. “And Barry?”  

“Your dad’s with him. He asked me to call you and fill you in, said he didn’t wanna leave the kid alone…” 

“Dammit Singh, what happened? Is Barry okay?”  

“Iris,” the captain began. “The storm got pretty bad. A bolt of lightning came through the skylight in his lab. Couple of beat cops heard the bang and went to check it out. They found Barry unconscious in his lab, said he’d been hit by the lighting. EMT’s came and got him, their taking him to the hospital now. Joe's with him.” 

In stunned silence she hung up the phone with out a good bye, threw her apron on the coat rack, and pulled her jacket on before dashing out of the café. She didn’t even bother to give her manager an excuse, all she could think about was getting to Barry.  

And that was how she had ended up here, sitting in the hospital, waiting in sheer terror for any information from the doctors. It had been a little over two and a half hours since the ambulance had arrived at the E.R with Barry and her dad. An hour and twenty-five minutes since she had arrived and taken her place in the waiting area, when a doctor finally made his way out and called for them.  

“Barry Allen’s family?” He asked as he stopped to stand beside the front desk. 

Iris shot up like a rocket, abandoning the now cold coffee on one of the tables, and rushed over to meet him. “I’m his fiancé. Is he alive? Is he going to be okay?”  

“He is alive.” The doctor—Dr. Brummer according to his name tag—confirmed. “He’s alive, and it took us a while, but we finally got him stable.”  

Iris aloud herself to breath a shaky sigh of relief at the news, a hand coming up to push her hair from her face. “Oh thank God.” 

“However,” Dr. Brummer continued, and she could already feel the dread creeping back into her heart. “He seems to have fallen into a coma. We would like to assure you that we will do everything we can for your fiancé, and we’ll keep him alive as long as you and his family want us to, but unfortunately I cannot guarantee that he’ll wake up. I am truly sorry, miss."

And with his words, Iris felt her heart stop, and her body was wracked with a new round of sobs. She was vaguely aware of her father caching her as she began to sink to her knees, of him helping her back to her seat. But all of her focus was on Barry, the man that she loved, and how he might not ever wake up again.  


	2. Breaking Point

The first thing that Iris did once she had calmed down—or at least enough to where she could speak clearly enough for people to understand her—was call Barry’s foster family. Beth and Chris may not have been his family by blood, but they loved him like a son, and they were as much his parents as Henry and Nora were. They deserved to know what had happened.  

Needless to say, it had been a very difficult phone call to make.  

Beth had answered the phone on the second ring. “Iris, thank God! We just saw the news, we were about to call you. Are you and Barry okay?”  

Iris’ sob was answer enough. “I’m fine, but Barry….”  

“Oh my God, is he—“ 

“He’s alive.” She told her mother in law to be. “But, um, he was struck by lightning. He’s in a coma.”  

Iris found that actually speaking the words had been much more difficult than she would have thought. They were just words after all. Except the person the meaning of those words was applied to wasn’t just a person—it was Barry, her Barry.  

After a few tear filled minutes of Beth and Chris asking her questions about their son—which she answered the best she could—and them promising they’d be at the hospital in a few hours, Iris began pestering the hospital staff to let her see her fiancé. She knew she still needed to go to Iron Heights and inform Henry of what had happened, and she would, but she needed to see Barry for herself first. To reassure herself that he really was still alive, because knowing that he was still alive and had a chance of waking up—however small that chance was—was the only thing keeping her from breaking entirely.  

At first, the nurses had said that he was still under observation and couldn’t have visitors until morning, but Iris had persisted until they called Dr. Brummer out. It didn’t take long for her to convince him to let her back.  

“I’m listed as his emergency contact.” She had informed him. “He's my fiancé, I need to see him, to see that he’s okay. Just—just give me ten minutes with him. Please?”  

After checking Barry’s medical information and confirming  that, yes, Iris Anne West was listed as his emergency contact, Dr. Brummer relented and agreed to let her back.  

“I can only give you ten minutes, Miss West. And just you, no one else tonight.”  

She agreed to his conditions and was directed to Barry’s hospital room.  

The doctor left the two of them alone, and Iris slowly made her way to the side of Barry’s bed. Her fiancé was laid on his back in the beds center, and he would have looked as though he was sleeping had it not been for the machines attached to him. He was connected to a set of I.V’s to keep him hydrated and nourished, and an oxygen tube in his nose to help him breath. There was a small device clipped to his left pointer finger to measure his pulse, and wires and leads attached to his chest to measure his heart rate and rhythm.  

He was pale. Deathly pale. Even for him, this was far to pale. The new dark circles that had formed under his eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept in weeks, when she knew he had been sleeping just fine. With his unnaturally pale skin, it was too easy to see the angry red and purple vein-like lines that had formed on the skin of his neck and chest, and along his arms and wrist. They were probably on his back too, she guessed. They almost resembled fractured glass. Lichtenberg figures, she remembered the nurses calling it. They were a common occurrence when a person, or sometimes even land, was struck by lightning. She was told that the lines would fade to a pale red over time, similar to the fading of a scar, but it was still startling to see on Barry. 

It was enough to damn near break Iris completely.  

Covering her mouth with both hands as sobs wracked her body again, she slowly lowered herself into the chair directly beside him. She forced herself to focus.

 _Focus on breathing, Iris. Calm breaths._  

 _Focus on_ _Barry breathing. The rise and fall of his chest._  

 _Focus on the steady rhythmic beeping of the_ _heart_ _monitor._ _Barry’s heart is still beating._  

_Focus. You only have ten minutes, West. Calm down, and be with him._

Slowly, her breaths became more steady, and though she was still in tears and her muscles kept trembling, she was slightly calmer. She reached a trembling hand out to gently rest upon his still one, squeezing it as tightly as she could between both of hers.  

 _His hands were still warm. He was still alive._  

For a little while, all she could do was sit there in silence, his hand in hers as tears rolled down over her face. Her thumbs absentmindedly tracing gentle circular patters over the palms of his hands as she watched his still form.  

 _And God, he was so still._  

 _Focus Iris. He’s breathing. His hearts beating. His hands are warm. He’s alive._  

 _Barry is alive._  

She had to keep reminding herself of that if she was going to make it through this.  

 _He’s alive. There’s still hope._  

 _Barry is alive._  

Gradually, Iris found her voice again.  

“Hey.” She whispered softly to him. “I don’t know if you can hear in there—I like to think that you can—so if you _do_ hear me, them come back to me okay? Please, come back to me, Bear.” 

Silence.  

“I called Beth and Chris.” She told him through her tears. “They said they’re packing up and leaving tonight. Train station is closed, so they’re driving all the way here from Coast City to see you. They said they’d be here in a few hours.”  

More silence.  

“And I’m going to Iron Heights to tell your dad as soon as I leave here. The doctor’s will only let me stay for a little while. Ten minutes. Said you’re still under heavy observation. I had to pester the nurses and Dr. Brummer for a good ten minutes before they finally let me back.”  

As predicted, Iris was met with more silence.  

“I hope you can hear me in there, Bear.” She paused, wiping some tears from her eyes with one hand, while holding onto his with the other. It made no difference though, and new tears immediately replaced the old ones.  

Again, he remained laying still. Silent. Unresponsive.  

One of the nurses came in then, softly knocking on the door. “Miss West? It’s time to go now.”  

 _Ten minutes already?_  

 _I can’t leave him here alone. I can’t._  

“You can come back and see him again in the morning if you’d like?” The nurse added, sensing her hesitation. “Visiting hours are eight to ten every day.”  

Reluctantly, Iris nodded. “Just, give me a second to say goodbye for the night alright?”  

The nurse nodded and stepped outside to wait.  

 _I’ll come back tomorrow._  

 _I need to leave soon anyway._  

 _I still need to tell Henry._  

 _Visiting hours end soon at Iron Heights._  

“Hey.” Iris whispered softly. “I have to go now, okay?”  

No response. More silence.  

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning, as soon as visiting hours start. I promise.”  

Silence again.  

“I love you, Bear. I love you so much. Come back home to me.”  

Iris, reluctantly, let go of his hand. Standing, she leaned down, placing a soft kiss to his brow, and left the hospital.  

 _Barry_ _is_ _breathing._  

 _Barry’s heart is still beating._  

 _Barry is alive. There’s still hope._  

…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

It was a true miracle that Iris had been able to drive as upset as she was, yet somehow, she had managed to safety make it to Iron Heights.  

After telling the guards who she was there to see, signing in, and depositing all of her personal artifacts into the box, she was escorted to the visiting center. As she waited for them to bring Henry in, she couldn’t help but remember the first time she had met Henry.  

……………….. 

 _She had been wanting to meet Henry for a while. She had been with Barry for a year when she first started asking why he hadn’t introduced her to him yet._  

 _“You’ve met my dad, and I’ve_ _already_ _met Beth and Chris._ _Do you not want me to meet your dad?” She had asked him._  

 _“Iris, of course I want you to meet my dad. And I’d love for him to meet you. I just—I’m just hoping that I can introduce you to him with out having to get_ _legal permission first, or having a bullet proof glass barrier in the way, and a phone to talk into.”_ _He told her._  

 _“You know it doesn’t bother me right?” She reassured him._ _“If you’re worried it’ll scare me away, it_ _wont.”_  

 _“I know—though it’s still nice to be reminded. I just, want_ _to introduce you to him under more normal circumstances. Like over lunch, or something.”_  

 _And of course, she could understand that._ _But of course, she would teasingly bring it up from time to time, about meeting him one day_ _. But even though she was teasing him about it, some part of her secretly hoped that he’d_ _finally offer to introduce them anyway, and both of them knew it._  

 _He had_ _told his dad all about her on his visits with him though,_ _and she_ _liked that. But what she really loved was when Barry would tell her stories about his dad._ _He’d tell her stories from when he was a kid about both of his parents,_ _and about their talks when ever Barry got to visit his dad. Even though she hadn’t met his dad yet, and would never be able to meet his mom,_ _he told the stories with such detail and passion that she already felt like she knew them both._  

 _It wasn’t until after Barry had proposed to her that he finally applied to have her put on the visitation list._  

 _“I wish_ _I could introduce you over coffee and doughnuts at Jitters or something, but we’re engaged.”_ _Barry said, breaking into a wide grin, as if he still couldn’t believe she had really said yes. “I want him to meet my fiancé, the woman that I love.”_  

 _By the time she met Henry, the both of them already felt like they knew each other_ _as_ _much as Barry had told them about the other. They_ _seemed to click pretty_ _quickly,_ _even in the short 15 minute visiting period._ _Between the three of them, there was never a lag in the conversation._  

 _After Barry’s next visit with his dad, he came home to_ _tell her about it._  

 _“Well, apparently my dad loved you.” He_ _laughed._  

…………………… 

When Henry was finally escorted into the room, she could tell by the look on his face that he knew something was wrong. He had been wearing a smile when he first entered the room, but when his eyes found her his face paled and his smile faded. She supposed that her red rimmed and tear stained eyes were a bit of a give away.  

With her heart heavy and aching inside of her chest, she knew looking at her future father in law as he took his seat across from her, that this conversation was going to be a very painful one for the both of them.  

But it was a conversation that needed to happen. Henry needed to know what had happened to Barry.  

 _Barry is still alive._ She reminded herself, for what must have been the hundredth time that night, as she took a deep breath to begin explaining everything to his father. 

 _Barry is still alive._  


	3. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I had someone ask me if I was planning on any flashbacks for those who are reading this fic, but have not read Competent. My answer was yes, and this is that chapter. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it! :)
> 
> Leave me some kudos and comments, to tell me what you think.

Every second that Barry was in a coma was painful, but nights were always the worst for Iris. Especially the first night. After leaving Iron Heights and a shocked and crying Henry Allen, Iris found herself dreading spending the night at her apartment alone. Instead, she opted for a quick pit stop at the apartment before heading to her dad’s place. She was only at the home she and Barry shared long enough to shower, change her clothes, and pack an over night bag. She couldn’t stay there alone. Not tonight. It just hurt too much.  

She had arrived at her child hood home fifteen minutes later, the strap of her over night bag strung over her shoulder. Iris wore a pair of oversized gray sweat pants that she had stolen from Barry’s drawer, and one of his flannel button down shirts—which was two sizes too long on her small frame, but it smelled like Barry, and she needed that tonight.  

She stayed with her father for the next three weeks, still afraid to be at home alone. Without her fiancé there, the nights would seem lonely, and the bed would be cold. She was sure that the sheets had lost his scent after the first week. She would have stayed longer, but she knew she had to face the inevitable sooner or later. She couldn’t hide away in her old childhood bedroom forever, and would have to return home eventually.  

Linda stayed with her in the apartment the first week after she moved back. She had called her best friend the first night home and asked her if she could come sleep over. She hadn’t meant to need someone, but after being home for less than an hour, the quiet had gotten to be too much for her, and she couldn’t help but let the fear creep back in. The _“What if’s_ _.”_  

 _What if he never wakes up?_  

 _What if he never comes back home to me?_  

The quiet left her too much time to think, and thinking was no good for her right now. By the time Linda arrived, she found Iris laying in bed, curled in a fetal position and buried under the covers, crying hard.  

“Make it stop.” She had whispered to her best friend through her sobs. “Make it stop.” 

“Make what stop, sweetie?” Linda asked, keeping her voice soft and soothing.  

“I keep thinking about him laying in that hospital bed. About how still he is. What I’ll do if he never wakes up. Please, make it stop.”  

And so Linda had pulled her friend out of the bedroom, and down the hall to the living room. She put on one of their favorite comedy movies, ordered a pizza, and curled up next to her on the couch. They stayed there, talking and watching movies all night, until they fell asleep. 

………………………………………….. 

It was a month into Barry’s coma when Cisco approached them about a transfer. Barry had slipped back into critical condition about a week into his coma when he started having seizures and flat lining again. Iris had been with Barry the first time it happened, and she had thought for sure that the doctors wouldn’t be able to get his heart started again. It became a reoccurring problem after that. He would be fine one minute, sleeping and still, and then the heart monitor would signal a flat line. And without fail, the seizures would start a few seconds later. Several times a week this would happen, and the doctor’s were baffled by the occurrence each time. None of them seemed to understand how he could be having gran-mal seizures and not have a heart beat. When Cisco approached Iris, Beth, and Chris a month into Barry’s coma he had told them that they had been working on something at S.T.A.R. Labs since the seizures started. Something that could help save Barry.  

“He’s my best friend. I don’t wanna see him die either.” Cisco pleaded.  

Iris was immediately willing to give it a try, but since she wasn’t married to him yet, Beth and Chris would still have the final say in signing the transfer paperwork at the hospital.  

“The doctors are clearly clueless.” She had argued. “And I’m terrified that one of these times he starts seizing the doctors won’t be able to save him. Besides, I trust Cisco, and so does Barry. If he says that they have a way to stabilize him, to save him, then I think it’s worth a try. It’s not like the doctors here have been able to do anything to make him better. I know you two get the final say, but I can still give my opinion, and this is it. I think we need to trust Cisco, and give this a try.” 

In the end, Beth and Chris had agreed to fill out the transfer papers.  

……………………… 

The nightmares were a near nightly bases. Although, sometimes, the real nightmare came when she woke up and saw that Barry wasn’t there. Sometimes the dreams were more memories than dreams. Memories of the first time she met Barry, that day in college their freshman year. 

……………………. 

 _Just as she was setting her books down on the desk a short and pudgy woman with graying blond hair walked in. She was carrying a rather heavy looking bag and a large stack of books. Iris assumed that this frazzled looking woman must be the professor, and she was proved to be correct when the woman dumped her belongings down on the desk at the front of the room and collapsed in the chair. A moment later the door swung open again to reveal a tall, thin, brunette young man rushing into the room to avoid being tardy. After taking a quick glance around the room his eyes settled on the empty seat beside her, seeming to realize it was the only available chair left. Hurriedly, he made his way across the room to where she sat and took his seat just as the frazzled woman began speaking._  

 _"Good morning class." Their professor began in a friendly tone of voice. "I'm Dr. Andrea Walksburner, and I'm comfortable with you just calling me Andrea if you are. Okay?"_  

 _There was a murmur of consent throughout the room, all of the students seeming to agree that they were in fact comfortable calling their professor by her first name. Iris loved that it was an option to be able to call her teachers by their first name in college. And as of currently, she was already liking this woman more than her Calculus professor._  

 _"Alrighty then." Andrea continued. The woman stood up and shuffled through her bag for a moment before returning her attention back to the class, now holding a paper in her hands. "This is Introduction to Chemistry 101, welcome. Its so good to see so many smiling faces in here this morning. I'm going to take role, not that I need to with the seats so full, but it does help me learn your names. So if I mispronounce a name  or you go by something different, let me know. Okay?"_  

 _There was another chorus of agreement. The woman nodded, smiling, and looked down at her paper and began calling role. "Okay, Bartholomew Allen?"_  

 _The boy sitting beside her raised his hand. "Its Barry, actually." He informed the woman._  

 _"_ _Barry_ _Allen." Andrea amended as she scribbled the correction onto her attendance sheet. "Can't blame you there."  she told him peering over her sheet with a friendly smile._  

 _The boy sitting next to her—Barry—smiled at the professors comment as he reached down and gathered his Chemistry book, notebook, pencil, and highlighter from his bag. In that brief exchange between her desk companion and her professor Iris had decided two things. The first being that she was definitely going to like Andrea. The second was that Barry Allen had an insanely cute smile._  

 _"Bartholomew?" She whispered. She hadn't meant to say it out lout, but she had. Fortunately he didn't seem to mind much._  

 _He looked over at her, eyebrows raised and a smirk playing on his lips as he whispered a response. "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't pick the name."_  

 _Iris couldn't help but smile at him. "Your last name is so normal though. And then Bartholomew? Where did that come from?"_  

 _"No idea." He laughed, and it was an adorable sound. "Personally, I think my parents thought 'Barry' was a cute nick name and just kind of went with it."_  

 _She laughed too, deciding that Barry Allen was all around adorable in every possible way. Their teacher had continued taking role through out their conversation, calling out each name and pausing on occasion to make a correction in pronunciation and/or on the sheet. Finally, she reached the end of the attendance sheet._  

 _"And last but certainly not least, Iris West?" The woman at the front of the room called out._  

 _"Here." The girl announced, raising her hand and offering a friendly smile._  

 _The woman paused to put the attendance sheet back in her bag and removed the books she would be needing for class. Barry took the opportunity to lean towards Iris and continue their conversation._  

 _"Now see, that's just not fair." He whispered to her._  

 _"What's not fair?" She asked curiously._  

 _"Your name is Iris. I can't even make fun of you for that name, its too pretty."_  

 _He was smiling at her and his smile was infectious. "But I can tease you for yours." She said returning his smile._  

 _"So you see how its not fair?" He laughed softly. Iris laughed too, and was about to respond when Andrea began teaching._  

…………………………… 

Some of her dreams were memories of their first date. They had gone to the local fair, and she had won herself a prize there. Barry picked out the stuffed animal—a fluffy black teddy bear, that she still had to this day. It had also been the night they shared their first kiss. 

…………………………… 

 

 _He smiled at her, and transitioned into a new conversation, making some stupid joke that made her laugh. Her laugh had to be one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard in his life. He’d do almost anything to her hear her laugh like that. The rest of the meal continued in the same way, Barry and Iris taking turns making some stupid joke just so they could hear each other laugh. As they were throwing their trash away once they finished eating she looked to her date and said, “Alright, it’s your turn to pick. What’s next?”_  

 _Barry took a moment to look around at the booths near by before deciding. He pointed to one of the games, the one where you had to shoot a water gun at a target to win a prize. “That one? I’m a terrible shot, but it’s worth a try, right?”_  

 _Iris smiled at him, he really was adorable. “Well lucky for you, I’m a great shot. So definitely worth a try.”_  

 _He returned her smile and lead her in the direction of the booth. When he got there he handed the worker their tickets, and the man explained the rules of the game. In short, they were suppose to aim at the target and the first one to make the bobber reach the top won._  

 _“Good luck.” Iris said as she picked up her water gun and took aim._  

 _“You too.” Barry said as the bell rang, signaling the start of the game._  

 _They both took aim and began firing their water guns, and it soon became obvious to Barry that Iris hadn’t been kidding when she said she was a great shot. She expertly hit her trigger button, never missing the center ring of the target. Barry was so impressed by her skills that the distraction only made his already terrible aim that much worse. Iris noticed her companion’s lack of skill as well as the adorable pout on his face each time he missed the target. It was so adorable in fact that it almost became a distraction._ _Almost._ _She had to force herself not to glance in his direction for even a second or she knew that she would loose her focus and miss a shot. It didn’t take long for her bobber to reach the top and the game to end._  

 _“This round goes to the little lady!” the booth worker announced. “Pick any prize off the top row,  or you can play again.”_  

 _“You weren’t kidding when you said you were a great shot.” Barry laughed._  

 _“My dad’s a cop, remember?” She told him. “He started teaching me how to shoot a gun when I was twelve. Come on, let’s go again. I’ll give you some pointers.” Iris poked his biceps as she finished._  

 _“Okay.” He laughed, handing the worker another ticket and picking the water gun back up. “I’m open to learning a few new things.”_  

 _She stepped closer to him so that she was pressed against his side, and she heard his intake of breath at the gesture, and saw the slight blush appear on his face—apparently he had not been expecting her to press herself so close to him. Just as she predicted, when she reached around him to position his hands on the gun, his blush deepened. She couldn’t help the small grin that crept on to her_ _face at that fact. She placed one of his hands on the bottom of the water gun for better support , since his arms seemed to be unsteady and shaky._  

 _“Okay, hold your arms out like this.” She positioned his arms and hands so that he could hold the water gun more steadily. “Good. Now focus on the little target over there, take a deep breath, relax your shoulders a little more, and then aim and shoot.”_  

 _She kept her hands over his as the bell rang and he fired. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was better. At least he managed to hit the target more and cause the bobber to raise up. When the timer ran out the bobber was around the half way mark. “That was better.” Iris told him, keeping her voice positive. “Remind me to take you to an actual shooting range sometime so you can practice.”_  

 _He crossed his eyes and raised his brows rather comically, causing her to laugh, before responding. “Yea, I’m  not really sure that’s the best idea, considering my aim, but sure.”_  

 _“Nah. You’ll do fine.” She smiled and leaned into him, bumping her shoulder against his as she gestured to the prize rack. “Okay, you pick. Which one?”_  

 _Barry surveyed the prizes, all of them stuffed animals of various kinds. After a moment his eyes settled on an extremely fluffy black teddy bear and he smiled, pointing at it. “What about that one?”_  

 _“That one is perfect.” Iris said, smiling brightly. “I’ll take that one.” She told the worker, and the man reached up to bring it down before passing it to her._  

 _Once the bear was placed in her arms she hugged it against her chest, smiling an adorable child-like smile that made Barry’s heart melt. “Good choice.” She told him as they walked away, after thanking the worker._  

 _“I’m glad you approve.” He teased with a laugh. “Alright, your turn to pick. Where to next?”_  

 _Iris only smiled, taking his hand in hers and lacing her fingers through his, leading him to their next destination. “You’ll see.”_  

 _With in a few minutes, after some casual teasing and small talk, the pair reached the ferris wheel on the far end of the carnival. “You’re not afraid of heights are you, Barry?” She asked him._  

 _“Definitely not.” He replied with a playful smirk. “Are you?”_  

 _“Not even a little bit.” Iris smiled back._  

 _After passing their tickets to the worker the couple found themselves a carriage and took their seats. Another worker came around to make sure all of the carriages were locked and secure before the ride moved up to allow more passengers to board._  

 _“So,” Barry began. “I saw Linda in the hall yesterday in the language and cultures building. Is it safe to say that you won’t be in search of a new room mate then?”_  

 _“You know, I was planning to kill her and put up fliers for a new room mate the next day,” Iris began sarcastically, but then after a moments pause became slightly more serious. “But then you asked me out, and my joy kind of won out over my anger.” Another brief pause, and she playfully added, “we downgraded to just a broken nose.”_  

 _Laughing, he shook his head. “Well to be honest, I’m still just surprised you actually ‘yes’ when I asked you out, so…”_  

 _“Why were you so surprised?” She asked seriously, looking up at him, her big brown eyes meeting his soft green ones. “Barry, you’re adorable. And your sweet, and funny, and you’re insanely smart. It’s so easy for me to talk to you, and you always make me laugh. I really like spending time with you. Why wouldn’t I say yes?”_  

 _“Are you forgetting that whole ‘science-nerd-nobody-likes-the-weird-kid’ conversation from the first day of class?” He asked, giving her a sad, almost bitter smile—as if just the memory of those days in his past when he was bullied was enough to break him._  

 _And she couldn’t help it. In that moment, he looked so small and so pained, that all she wanted was to fix it for him, to put that adorable smile back on his face. Adjusting the teddy bear between the two of them so that she wouldn’t lose it, Iris turned to face him, and reaching up she placed a gentle hand on either side of his face. Looking directly into his eyes she repeated her words from that first day of class, the ones she had said when he first told her about being labeled the weird kid in school, and nobody liking the weird kid._  

 _“I happen to like you just fine, Barry Allen.” She told him gently, before leaning forward and pressing her lips softly against his._  

 _The kiss had been rather chaste and only lasted for a second or two, and she had taken him by surprise so he hadn’t kissed back. But when she pulled away to look at him again, he had doe eyes, and his dazed look slowly morphed to one of surprised joy. Once again, she couldn’t help it. Before when she kissed him, she had been wanting to reassure him that she genuinely liked him, and to put a smile back on his face. Now, the smile that had appeared on his face was so adorable all she wanted to do was kiss him again, to kiss his smiling lips. And so she did. Returning the smile, Iris leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his again. This time, Barry kissed her back. One of his hands came to rest on her waist, just above her hip, as he kissed her back. Again, the kiss hadn’t lasted long. But it had been sweet and tender, and for now that was enough for the both of them. It was obvious that they both cared for each other, and neither of them wanted to push things too far too quickly and mess things up. The kiss had been gentle, and almost shy, but that didn’t mean it meant any less to either of them. If anything, Iris thought it might have meant more._  

 _As they broke apart they both just sat their looking at the other for a moment, smiling in blissful happiness. After returning the teddy bear to her lap, securing it there with one hand, Iris took Barry’s hand with her other, lacing her fingers through his. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and felt his breath against her face as he leaned his head against hers while they watched the night sky from the top of the ferris wheel._  

………………………. 

She also dreamed of their college graduation, of the moment that Barry had proposed to her.  

………………………. 

 _After the ceremony, Iris was posing for pictures for her dad. Currently, he was in the process of snapping a shot of her and Linda, there arms wrapped around each other in a friendly embrace, both girls_ _smiling_ _brightly at the camera—Mr. and Mrs. Park taking pictures of their daughter and her best friend right along side of Joe. Barry and Cisco had already posed for pictures with their parents, and were making their way through the celebrating crowd toward Iris, their families following them. Both of the boys had already unzipped their gowns—Barry had unzipped his gown so he could reach his pants pocket easier, and Cisco had said he felt strangled in his gown._  

 _“Iris!” The CSI called as he approached his girlfriend, who turned to face him, smiling brightly as she recognized his voice._  

 _“Barry!” She announced, bursting with excitement. “Finally! You are just in time for pictures, Mr. Allen.”_  

 _The journalist reached out, grabbing her boyfriends hand and pulling him over for pictures. Smiling at Joe and his own family, he draped an arm over her shoulders as she looped both of hers around his waist. He wrapped both of his long arms around her in response, smiling wider as she leaned against him just as their families snapped the photo. The group took a few more photos, and soon enough Lisa joined in on the photos too, before Barry finally pulled Iris out of the groups line up, still staying near everybody._  

 _“Iris, I uh, I actually wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s okay?”_  

 _“Yea, of course, anything.” She told him honestly. “Is everything okay?”_  

 _“Uh…” in his peripheral he saw Cisco wink, giving him two encouraging thumbs up, a wide grin on his face. “Yea. I mean, I hope so anyway.”_  

 _Iris knit her brows together in question, looking at him. Her confusion only grew when she caught sight of her dad standing behind Barry. Her father had this odd smile on his face, one filled with pride, and she had the sneaking suspicion that he somehow knew what her boyfriend wanted to discuss with her. “Okay… I’m listening.”_  

 _“I love you, Iris, you know that.” He began nervously._  

 _“I love you too, Bear.” She told him._  

 _“Right, I know. But um…” He paused, taking a deep breath, trying to calm down. “I love you, Iris. More than anything. And no offense to Cisco, but you’re my best friend in the entire world. You mean everything to me, and I know that I can always count on you for anything and everything. When I need someone, I know you will always be there.”_  

 _Taking another deep breath, he reaches to take both of her hands in his, rubbing gentle circles against the back of them with his thumbs. “And I can talk to you, so easily, about everything—whether it’s serious or just joking around. You know me better than anyone else does, and sometimes I think you know me better than even I know myself.”_  

 _Barry continued, biting his lips nervously. “What I’m trying to say, is that I know you probably want to wait until you get a solid job in your career—and I get that, completely, I do. And I will wait with you as long as you need me to until that happens. But for right now, I love you Iris. And I want to know that you will always be a part of my life, for as long as I’m alive.”_  

 _“So,” He said as he let go of her hands, getting down on one knee. He paused to take a small black jewelry box out of his pocket, opening it up to reveal an engagement ring—a silver band set with a princess cut diamond and a smaller one on either side. “Iris Anne West, will you please marry me?”_  

 _Iris had covered her mouth with both hands the moment he got down on one knee, realization dawning on her. She had begun nodding as soon as he said her name, not a doubt in her mind that this was what she wanted. “Yes.” Iris whispered through her tears—she had started crying while he spoke._  

 _Barry, having half expected her to turn him down began stuttering out a response before he realized that she had accepted the proposal. “It’s okay, I-wait, what? Yes? You said yes?”_  

 _“Yes, Barry.” Iris confirmed with a soft laugh. “I said yes.”_  

 _“Wha—“ He breathed, still clearly shocked that she hadn’t said no. “Seriously? Okay, so just to confirm, yes_ _,_ _you want to marry me?”_  

 _“Yes, you idiot!” She laughed, leaning over and placing a hand on either side of his face and pressing her lips to his, kissing him. “I am in love with you Barry Allen. I want to marry you. I’d never say no in a million years.”_  

 _He laughed, kissing her again. When they broke apart, he removed the ring from the box—carefully so as not to drop the ring with his trembling hands—and slid it onto her ring finger. He stood up and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply and passionately._  

 _“I love you Barry Allen.” She whispered when she pulled away for air, keeping her arms around her fiancé._  

 _Barry, who now had his arms wrapped around her waist, smiled at her. “I love you too Iris West.”_  

…………………………… 

Each dream would cause Iris to wake up, crying and reaching out for Barry’s pillow, hugging it against her and crying into it. His scent had vanished from his side of the bed a long time ago, and as often as she wore his cloths to sleep in, even those had lost his smell. Iris missed him, deeply. She missed the way he smelled when she was curled up in his arms under the covers, and she missed feeling his warmth beside her. She had sprayed some of his cologne on his pillow—and even took to using his body wash when she showered before bed—which helped some, but nothing could replace having Barry there with her.  

Nine months into Barry’s coma, and nine months of her constant fear of losing him, a miracle happened.  

She had been working a shift at Jitters, waiting on customers. The coffee house was busy, as usual, and there was a customer at every table. One of her customers, a regular named Sophia, had brought in her boyfriend this time. Iris couldn’t help but feel sad every time she saw a couple together. It just reminded her of Barry, and while she always thought of Barry, the little reminder always hurt. She was pouring a refill of coffee for Sophia and her date when she caught sight of a figure approaching the door out of the corner of her eyes. She lifted her head to offer a greeting to the new customer, and she froze.  

The door was pushed open, and with the sun light creating a halo of light behind the figure, Iris blinked her eyes a few times, convinced that it was a hallucination. But as the door closed and the halo of light faded, she saw his face, and there was no glare of light to cause any doubt. It was his face, no question, and she allowed herself a moment of hope.  

“Barry?” She breathed.


	4. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am really sorry that this took so long to get posted guys! I've been going through some personal stuff that took precedence, so I haven't really had the chance to right as much as I would have liked. 
> 
> But chapter 4 is up now! Finally! I worked really hard on this chapter, and it's a little longer than previous chapters, but hopefully it worth it. 
> 
> This chapter is a weird combination of fluff and angst, but it is filled with WestAllen goodness. Which I feel like we all need a little WestAllen fluff after the last two episodes.... not that I'm bitter or anything. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Be sure to leaves some Kudos and Comments to let me know what you think! :)

“Barry?” She breathed.

  
He seemed to hear her, because as she spoke his name from across the café he turned toward her and his face lit up with light as he walked towards her.

  
“Oh my God, Barry.” She whispered again in disbelief as she set the coffee pitcher on the table and jogged over to where he stood.

  
She closed the distance between them and jumped into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her up and returned the embrace. And for a moment, she simply clung to him. Because oh my God, he was here. Barry was here, holding her, alive and awake.

  
After a moment, she pulled away from the embrace enough to catch his lips between hers. She moved a hand to rest on the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair as he moved his lips against hers, holding her body firmly against his.

Reluctantly, she broke the kiss. She needed to breath, and they were still in public. Iris kept her hands resting on his biceps though, slightly afraid that he might disappear if she stopped touching him. And he stood there, looking down on her with one of his infamous smiles that Iris swore was brighter than the sun. She felt herself breath a heavy sigh of relief that he was awake and here. He was alive.

  
“Oh my God, your awake! Why didn’t S.T.A.R. Labs call me?” She couldn’t stop staring at him. He was really awake, standing here in Jitters with her.

  
“I just woke up.”

  
He was smiling, and talking. Oh my God, he was really here. “Should you even be on your feet?”

  
“Iris, I—I’m okay.” Barry reassured her, still smiling.

  
“I watched you die, Barry. You kept dying. Your heart kept stopping.”

  
Barry’s face fell, concern and worry for her clearly showing on his face. He reached for one of her hands, and moved it to rest on his chest, just over his heart. She felt it beating, rapidly, inside of his chest. It felt almost like it was buzzing.

  
“It’s still beating.” He told her.

  
“Feels really fast.” She breathed, allowing herself to give him a soft smile as relief bloomed in her chest. His heart was still beating. He really was alive.

  
Behind her, glass shattered. “Oops.” Said one of her coworkers.

  
“You okay Tracy?” Iris asked, turning her head to check on the girl, her hands never leaving their position on Barry’s chest and arm.

  
“Yea, I got it.” Tracy reassured her.

  
Iris normally would have gone over to help her, but her attention found its way back to her fiancé. When she turned her focus back to him, he had an odd look on his face as if something had startled him.

  
“Hey, you sure you’re okay, Bear?”

  
“Yea, absolutely. Just, got startled from the glass shattering. I’m good.” He was back to smiling again, as if nothing had ever changed in his expression.

  
“Okay.” Iris broke into a wide smile. “My dad is going to be so happy to see you! And so is everyone else at the station!” She said excitedly. “They’ve all been so worried about you. Just, let me grab my stuff okay?”

  
“Yea.” He said nodding, and Iris quickly rushed to discard her apron and gather her belongings. She returned a minute later and quickly found his hand before leading him outside.

  
…………………………….

  
Barry was acting strange, and all things considered she couldn’t help but worry.

They had made it to the CCPD after a short drive and some small talk—mostly Iris filling him in on some of the lighter moments of the past nine months, such as one of the detectives at the station going on maternity leave after having her second child; another boy. Barry had asked Iris to remind him to send her a card and congratulate her.

She was so relieved to have him sitting beside her again, talking with her.

  
Once they got to the station, Joe had hugged Barry. Her father seemed almost as happy to see his future son in law up and walking as she had been.

The rest of the cops and detectives gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as they passed him by, saying things like “Glad to have you back.” and “Look who’s alive after all!”

One cop had said, “Some nap you took there, baby face.”

  
After a brief exchange with Detective Eddie Thawn as he pulled her father away for a case, Iris had explained to him why her dad had a new partner now. 

Chyre had been shot down the night of the explosion. Barry moved to find his photo in the display for fallen cops as he let the information sink in, and Iris thought to give him a moment to process. She went to tell Captain Singh that Barry was awake, an exchange that only took a moment, but when she returned she noticed that Barry had an odd look on his face. That same odd look he had gotten at Jitters.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked him, concerned.

  
“Yea, yea. I’m fine. I just need some air for a minute.” He quickly kissed her cheek and then rushed out the back door of the precinct.

  
For a moment, she considered giving him a minute or two of space. Maybe he still needed to process the news about Chyre? About being in a coma for nine moths and waking up to discover he had missed almost a year of his life? It was a lot to take in, really. But she quickly banished the idea.

He had just woken up from a nine month coma. What if this weird behavior was a sign of something wrong? Screw space. She was going to go check on him.

  
Turning, she rushed out the back door into the alley way behind the precinct, and froze in disbelief.

  
What she saw shouldn’t have been possible, but somehow it was. There was a blur of light, and then Barry appeared on the other side of the alley. He paused there for a moment, seemingly just as surprised as she was by the unexplainable event, and then turned to move back to the side he had started on. If she had to guess, he was probably trying to figure out how he had ended up on the opposite side of the alley way. However, he never got that chance.

As he moved to take a step, his form blurred again, and then the blur of light crashed into the back of a police car on her side of the alley.

Barry was left on the trunk of the cruiser, glass falling out of the windshield, as he stood up and backed away, his breathing heavy. She could tell by the look on his face that he was beginning to panic. That was when he looked away from the patrol car and caught sight of her.

  
“Iris.” He breathed. “Iris, I don’t know what—I don’t—“ He raised both arms up, running his hands through his hair.

He was definitely panicking.

She felt just as confused as him, and maybe even a little scared for what was happening to him. But right now, that didn’t matter. The man that she was in love with was scared. She needed to comfort him, to reassure him that he was okay.

  
“Barry.” She said rushing over to him. “Hey. Hey, baby look at me. Okay, look at me.”

  
Slowly, his green eyes found her face, and she could see they were filled with fear. Iris took his hands in hers, lowering them back to his sides, before cradling his face between her hands.

“Look at me, okay? Breath, Bear. You need to breath. It’s gonna be fine. You’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  
She watched him carefully as he closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. After a moment he opened his eyes to look at her again, his breaths slightly less rapid, and she continued.

“We are going to figure this out, okay? We’ll figure it out together. Maybe we should go to S.T.A.R. Labs, talk to Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells? Cisco is a friend. And they treated you while you were in your coma. Maybe they can help us figure out what’s happening, yeah?”

  
“Yea.” He agreed, his voice barley even a whisper. “Yea, it’s worth a try I guess.”

  
“Okay." She breathed. "Okay, come on. I’ll drive.” Iris dropped her hands from his face and took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together, and leading him to her car.

  
……………………………

  
The drive over to S.T.A.R. Labs had been quiet, Barry nervously bouncing his legs and chewing at his figure nails the whole way. At some point Iris had reached over to take his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, which he returned, and she held his hand in hers for the rest of the drive.

  
Once there, they explained to their friend, as well as to Caitlin and Dr. Wells what had happened. Caitlin remained skeptic, not believing a word of it.

  
“You mean your hand was trembling?” The brunette female asked. “Like a muscle spasm? Because I can give you something to take that’ll help you with that.”

  
“No.” Barry corrected. “I mean vibrating.”

  
In the end, Cisco’s enthusiasm and Dr. Wells’ scientific curiosity won out over Caitlin’s skepticism, and they all decided to test the information that Barry was telling them.

  
“If you’re so certain of its impossibility Dr. Snow, then surely there’s no harm in testing it.” Dr. Wells told her.

  
“Exactly.” Cisco agreed. “And if you are right, then you can rub it in our faces for the rest of the week. You know you’d love that.”

  
They ended up relocating for the test, and the group found themselves standing at Ferris Air Lines, on one of the abandoned runways. They had set up a table with some equipment, and Barry was currently changing into a running suit that had monitors built in to measure his vitals.

  
“You don’t really believe he can run that fast do you?” Caitlin asked Dr. Wells as Cisco went to see if Barry was ready yet.

  
Dr. Wells only shrugged in response. “We’ll find out soon enough, Dr. Snow.”

And after a few more moments of prep to make sure that all of the gear connected to Barry’s suit was functioning properly, her fiancé was standing at the start of the lane, bent down like any professional runner would be before a race.

Cisco held up a speedometer to measure his speed as he ran.

"Ready when you are, dude.” The engineer announced.

  
Barry nodded and took a deep breath, and then took off running—his retreating figure becoming nothing more than a blur of light.

  
The initial force when he took off was enough to knock Cisco backwards and cause him to fall, not that the engineer seemed to mind. He just sat there on the ground laughing. 

  
The table they had set up for the monitoring equipment was pushed back slightly, as were the rest of the spectators, the wind gust causing Caitlin to nearly lose all of her paperwork.

  
When Cisco stood back up, he aimed the speedometer gun at the blur of light that was his friend. “He just passed 200 miles per hour.” The engineer called to the group.

“That’s not possible.” Caitlin whispered, watching him through her binoculars. Ever the skeptic, it would seem.

  
“Apparently it is.” Iris whispered back, watching in just as much disbelief as the rest of the group, even though she had already witnessed it once before.

Suddenly, Barry swerved, and there was a crash as he ran into a pile of barrels.

“Barry!” Iris screamed, immediately running towards him, the S.T.A.R. Labs team following close behind her.

  
“Barry, are you okay?” She asked once she reached her fiancé.

She dropped down to her knees in front of him, ignoring all of the water that had spilled from the barrels. Her leggings were soaked through with water, but all of her focus was on Barry.

He was clutching his wrist and the expression on his face was pure agony. She could tell by the odd position of his arm that he had broken something.

  
“I think I broke my wrist.” He said, gritting his teeth and confirming what she already suspected.

  
…………………………….

  
Sometime later, Barry, Iris, and the S.T.A.R. Labs crew found themselves back inside the cortex. Barry was seated in one of the chairs and had changed into a pair of sweat pants and a gray S.T.A.R. Labs t-shirt. Caitlin was showing the couple an x-ray of Barry’s wrist.

  
“It looks like you had a distal radial fracture.” The doctor told them.

  
“Had?” Barry and Iris asked in unison.

  
“It’s completely healed.” Caitlin said gently, showing them the newest x-ray. “In three hours.”

  
Barry looked baffled, and frightened. “How’s that possible?”

  
“We don’t know, yet.”

  
Iris paused, thinking, for a moment. “It would explain a lot though, wouldn’t it?”

  
Caitlin gave her a questioning look, a brow cooked up. “What do you mean?”

  
“Well, he had Lichtenberg figures from the lightning. They were completely gone after just two months. From what I’ve read they don’t ever really disappear, not completely anyway. They fade, but they don’t disappear, and definitely not that quickly. Right?”

  
“True.” The doctor confirmed, considering what she said.

  
“And with most long term coma patients their muscles atrophy—and Barry’s seemed to do the complete opposite." Iris continued. "His muscles seemed to regenerate and grow. Even you seemed confused by that. I mean, if he has some sort of speed healing, it makes sense. He has super speed. Couldn’t it be possible for him to heal faster too?”

  
Iris’ mind was working in over drive now, and maybe having some sort of understanding about what was happening to him would give Barry a bit of comfort.

At least that was what she hoped.

  
Caitlin seemed to consider all of this, lost in deep thought.

“I suppose, medically speaking I mean, that if you have super speed...” the doctor paused, seemingly still struggling with the reality that things such as super speed could exist. “Well, it would make sense that if you’re body is moving at a faster than average rate, then it’s entirely possible that your metabolism could be sped up as well. Which would explain the accelerated healing."

  
“Great.” Barry said sarcastically, allowing himself to absorb all of this new information.

He was looking down at his hands, rubbing the previously fractured wrist. It looked to Iris that he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. “Good to know.”

  
………………………………..

  
The drive back home was quiet, much like the drive to S.T.A.R. Labs had been. After Caitlin gave Barry a full physical to ensure that there were no dangers to his health, Iris had thanked them for their help before leaving to head back home.

  
Barry, still seemingly scared and shocked, spent the 15 minute drive staring down at his hands.

Iris sighed as she parked outside of their apartment complex. She turned off the car, unbuckled, and turned in her seat to face him.

  
“Hey, what are you thinking about, Bear?” She asked, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair.

  
He shook his head in response, giving her a small forced smile. “Nothing. Just been a long day. Ready to be home.”

  
She knew he was lying, that he didn’t want to worry her. But he made a valid point—it would be nice to have him home again. Besides, the car was probably not an ideal place to have a long heart-to-heart conversation.

  
Iris nodded. “Okay, then let’s go home.”

  
Once the couple was inside, Barry collapsed on the couch, his head resting on the back of it. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as Iris moved to sit beside him, curling up against his side.

For a little while they just sat in silence, Iris watching him with concern, before finally breaking the silence.

  
“You’ve been pretty quiet.” She said softly. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  
“It’s been a long day.” He said repeating his earlier excuse.

  
Iris rolled her eyes at his poor attempt to reassure her that he was okay—which he clearly wasn’t. Sitting up straighter, she repositioned herself so that she was facing him.

“Barry, come on. I know you too well. Just, talk to me? What are you feeling right now?”

  
“It’s probably stupid.” Her fiancé whispered.

  
She shook her head. “No. If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid. Nothing you feel is stupid. What wrong, Bear?”

"It’s just—it’s been a long day. I mean, first I wake up to find out that I’ve been in a coma for nine months—that I slept away nine months of my life. I missed almost a year of my life, Iris.”

  
He paused, sighing as he collected his thoughts. “And then I find out that I have this—this power. I mean, I’ve always looked for proof of the impossible, after what happened with my mom. You know that. But this? I never thought that _I_  would become the impossible. And it's not—it’s not like I feel any different. But just knowing? It’s weird, knowing that I’m something different, something more than just human now. And knowing that I have the same power as the man who murdered my mom…”

  
And that was when it hit her. She hadn’t even realized before, but he was right. He did have the same power as the man who killed his mom.

Of course he was scared, and hurting. How could he not be? They had the same ability, a connection because of that power. No wonder he had been so quiet. He now had something in common with the man who killed his mom.

Of course he was scared.

  
“I will fill you in on anything and everything that you wanna know from those nine months, Bear." Iris began. “And Bear, you’re not him, alright? You are not him, and he is not you. Never will be.”

  
She paused, looking directly into his green fear filled eyes, and cupped his face between her hands. “It wasn’t the powers that made him into a killer, Bear. It was already who he was, the powers just gave him the means to not get caught. You know that , right?”

  
He nodded, slowly, whispering a soft “Yea.”

  
He might have known it, but she could tell by his quiet response and the way he looked at her, that some part of him had still been fearing he would become something he didn’t want to be.

  
She knew that he needed to hear this, so she continued. “You are the kindest, most caring person that I know, Barry Allen. And you have such a big heart.”

  
She moved one of her hands down to his chest, resting it just over his heart. “You are a good person, Barry. The best person that I know, and nothing, no one, or power is ever going to be able to change that.”

  
He let out a shaky breath, leaning forward to rest his head against his fiancé’s.

“Thank you, Iris.” He whispered. "I don’t know what I’d ever do without you. You are honestly my rock."

  
“Well I guess it’s a good thing that you don’t have to ever find out then.” She told him, offering a small gentle smile. “I know, you’re scared right now with everything that’s happened today, but you are not alone in this. I will always be here for you, Barry. _Always_.”

  
“I know.” He whispered, returning her smile.

  
“We should probably call Beth and Chris.” Iris suggested, changing the subject to something not quite so heavy. “They’ll wanna know that you’re awake and doing okay.”

  
“You know, aside from the whole super power thing.” He teased, trying his best to lighten the mood. “And the panic attack earlier. I'm totally doing okay.”

  
Iris gave him a playful slap on his arm, laughing softly, glad that he seemed to be relaxing a bit and in better spirits.

She reached over and grabbed her phone, dialing Beth’s number and hitting the speaker button before passing the phone to Barry.

“Might as well have a little fun with it and surprise them.” She said as he took it.

  
Beth answered on the second ring. “Iris, how’s Barry doing? The same, better, worse…?”

  
“I dunno.” Barry answer, “You tell me.”

  
“Barry?” The woman on the phone responded. It was both hesitant and hopeful.

  
“Hi Beth.” He said smiling, glad to hear her voice and be able to reassure his foster mom. “Yea, it’s me. And before you even ask, I’m fine, I promise.”

  
“Oh my God…” She whispered, and the couple could tell she was crying tears of joy and relief. “Chris, get over here! Barry’s on the phone! He’s awake!”

  
………………………………………

  
Iris sat still in their bed, wearing one of Barry’s plaid button down shirts and hugging her knees against her chest. She had caught her lower lip between her teeth and was nervously tugging at the skin trying to keep from crying. She didn’t want Barry to see her cry, not after everything he had been through today—she didn’t want to worry him like that.

But try as she might to hide her fears from him, he still knew when something was bothering her, just like he always did.

He had chosen to take a quick shower before bed, and so when he came out of the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of black CCPD sweat pants with his wet messy brown hair, that was how he found her—sitting on their bed, a bundle of nerves, and trying not to cry.

  
Instinctively, he made his way over to the bed and sat down beside her, much like how she had done for him earlier that night. He placed a gentle hand on both of her shoulders, letting them run up and down her arms. “Hey. Iris what’s wrong?”

  
She could hear the worry in his voice, and it finally caused her to break.

“Guess it’s my turn to have a breakdown now.” She teased through her tears, letting herself fall forward to lean against him.

  
His skin was still damp from the shower, but she could feel the heat radiating off of him and took comfort in it.

He was there, holding her.

She felt him press his lips to her temple in a soft kiss, his hands running along her back in a calming circular motion as he held her against him.

  
“Iris, what’s wrong?” He repeated, keeping his voice soft.

  
“You were in a coma, for nine months, Barry.” She whispered, leaning back to look up at him. “Nine months that I didn’t know if you were ever going to wake up—that I thought I lost you. And I was so scared, every day, that it would be the day that I would get a call saying your heart had stopped and they couldn’t bring you back.”

  
She was crying harder now, and the words just kept flowing. “And then when you walked into Jitters today, I was just, so relieved. But now—I mean I’ve had so many dreams where you woke up and came home. And now I’m scared that—what if this is just another dream? What if I go to sleep, and then wake up in the morning and you’re not here? You’re still in a coma? Bear, if this is a dream then I don’t think I want to wake up from it because I can’t, I can’t…”

  
She finally lost her words, leaving only her sobs and rapid shaky breaths to come out. She was crying too hard to find her words now.

Barry pulled her forward again, wrapping both arms firmly around her small frame as she fell against him.

  
“Hey…” came his quiet whisper, his lips once again pressed to her temple. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

  
“I’m sorry.” She mumbled through her tears. “I’m sorry.”

  
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Iris. It’s okay. Come here.” He whispered, adjusting the both of them so that they were laying down in their bed, and pulled the covers up around them. “It’s okay.”

  
“Iris, I am not going anywhere.” Barry reassured her. “It’s not a dream. This is real, and I’m here. I’m right here, holding you. And I promise you, that when you wake up tomorrow morning, I will still be right here, holding you. Okay? I promise, I’m not gonna go anywhere. I’m right here, and I’m not leaving you.”

  
For a while, that was how the couple stayed. Iris crying in his arms, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his rapidly beating heart and his even, steady breathing.

He kept his arms tightly wrapped around her, gently trailing his fingers over her back and along her arm, pausing on occasion to push strands of hair from her face and wipe away her tears.

Iris felt the rise and fall of his chest with each of his breaths, the warmth of his skin against hers. She breathed in his scent. She kept focusing on all of the little signs that told her he was alive, awake, and real, until eventually she drifted off to sleep—exhausted from all of the crying and stresses of the day.

  
She remembered feeling a sense of relief that he was finally home, just before she fell asleep.

She was finally home now too. Because, the apartment might have been _their_ home, but it had always been Barry that was _her_ home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm currently in a binge watching hang over... so if anyone has any good show recs on Netflix, I'd love to hear them! :) 
> 
> I just finished watching BBC Merlin (and let me tell you guys, the feels and pain are real. I'm still bitter about that ending.)
> 
> I also love Heroes, Heroes Reborn, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash (obviously), Beauty and the Beast (TV series), The Secret Circle, Teen Wolf, etc. 
> 
> I'm also a big fan of Broadway and musicals. 
> 
> Any recommendations would be amazing. Thanks guys! :)


	5. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of WestAllen fluff. 
> 
> And after last night's episode, y'all probably need the fluff. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is kind of short compared to the rest of the chapters in this story. It is actually exactly half the length of a normal chapter. My other chapters are usually around 8 pages, and this one is only about four. But, this seemed like a pretty good stopping point for this chapter. And besides, it's been a while since I updated this story, and I really wanted to get something up for you guys. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Please leave me some Kudos and Comments to let me know what you think. :)

When Iris woke up that morning, the first thing she noticed was the warmth that was encircling her. The familiar warm presents pressed against her—a comforting presents. She felt a warm, gentle breath tickling against her skin, and heard the faint sound of a steady rapid heart beat—almost like a quiet buzzing sound—drumming in her hear. She could smell the familiar scent of his soap, and for a moment she just lay still, saving the moment.

  
A small part of Iris still feared that this might be a dream still, that she wasn’t fully awake yet and her subconscious was somehow projecting her dreams into her reality. She knew that she would have to open her eyes sooner or later, to wake up and face the truth. But just in case it was all a dream, she wanted one moment longer with him, to pretend it was real.

  
It was only when she felt him shift to press his lips to her brow in a light kiss and heard his voice whisper a soft “good morning” that she dared to finally open her eyes and look up.

  
When she did peer up and meet his gaze, she was met with his deep green eyes and that soft, bright smile that she fell in love with. Iris couldn’t help but let out a joyous laugh.

  
It really wasn’t a dream this time.

  
Immediately she moved and leaned up, cupping a hand around the back of his neck and pulling him towards her, kissing him in way of greeting him for the morning.

  
“Good morning to you too.” Barry laughed when she broke away, before leaning forward and returning the kiss.

  
“You’re still here.” She whispered, the smile never leaving her face.

  
“I promised I would be, didn’t I?” He asked, returning her smile.

  
Iris nodded, cuddling against him and keeping her gaze on his face. After nine months, she didn’t ever want to stop looking at him. God, she had really missed his smile. She had missed his laugh. She had also missed the sound of his voice. She didn’t care what he was talking about, just as long as he was talking. Just as long as she could hear his voice, and if she got to hear his laugh too, then that was even better.

  
And so, just to get him talking again, she asked, “How long have you been awake?”

  
“What time did I wake up from that coma yesterday?” He asked sarcastically.

  
“Barry…” She began, the worry clear in her voice.

She knew she had been having nightmare last night. She hoped it wasn’t her fault he hadn’t slept. “I didn’t keep you up last night did I?”

  
“No.” Her fiancé reassured her quickly. “No. I just… had a lot on my mind, I guess. Couldn’t relax enough to sleep. Besides, I could watch you sleeping for hours. You’re beautiful.”

  
Iris smiled up at him. “You really are a big cheese-ball. You know that, don’t you?”

  
“You love my dorky-ness and you know.” He teased.

  
“Oh absolutely.” She teased back, knowing full well that she really did love all of his silly quirks and nerdy interest. “It’s the main reason I fell in love with you.”

  
Barry laughed—much to Iris’ delight—before he sobered and grew serious. “Iris, what were you dreaming last night?”

  
“The same damn nightmares I’ve been having for the past nine months.” She answered honestly. “That this was a dream, or that Cisco called to tell me that you had—but it doesn’t matter anymore. You are here. It’s not a dream. You’re home.”

  
He offered her a sad smile, pulling her closer to him and wrapping both of his long arms tightly around her. “I’m so sorry, Iris.” He whispered into her hair.

  
“It’s not your fault that you were struck by lightning, Bear.” She whispered back.

  
“Maybe not.” Barry replied sadly. “But you were still scared and hurting because of me, Iris. And I’m sorry for that.”

  
Iris lifted her head from its current resting place—with her face hidden against his chest—and adjusted so that she was eye level with him. Leaning her head against his she whispered in a tender yet still firm voice, “Don’t be. All that matters is that you’re home now.”

  
They stayed like that for a moment, eyes locked as they breathed each other in, before Iris leaned down and closed the small gap between the two of them. She pressed her lips to his, tenderly at first, but slowly increasing in intensity.

  
“I love you, Iris.” He whispered against her lips.

  
“I love you too, Barry.” She whispered back. “With all my heart.”

  
And this time, it was Barry who closed the small gap between them, moving so that his body was hovering carefully over hers.

  
His hands were wondering over her now, and he was using one arm to support himself while the other crept it’s way under her shirt and along her side, his lips finding their way to her neck.

  
“You sure you feel up to this?” Iris asked, slightly breathless from the intensity of the kiss. “You did just wake up from a coma.”

  
“I feel fine, Iris.” He reassured her with a soft laugh, leaning back down to kiss her again.

  
“Good.” She grinned, pushing him backwards and adjusting so that she was sitting on top of him, her legs on either side of his waist.

His hands immediately came up to rest on her hips, and Iris leaned down over him in a teasing manner, her hair falling around them like a curtain. “Because you and I, have nine months of lost time to make up for, Barry Allen.”

  
…………………………………

  
Iris had called in a sick day so that she could have the whole day with Barry, not that her manager really believed she was sick. They had all seen Barry in Jitters yesterday, and knew the real reason for her absence. Still, Iris wasn’t taking any chances of being pulled in to a shift today, which was why they chose to avoid the little café that morning and head to an IHOP for breakfast instead. Now, having eaten breakfast, the couple found themselves walking through the streets of downtown hand-in-hand, with no destination. They were just enjoying being in each other’s company.

  
“Eddie took up extra shifts so my dad and I could be with you—dad cares about you like a son, and he didn’t want me to feel like I had to go through it alone.” Iris told him as they walked towards the bridge. “Everyone seems really relieved to have to back. Detective Pretty-Boy included.”

  
Barry gave a soft laugh. “Nah, Eddie's just happy he doesn’t have to pull double shifts anymore.”

  
“Probably right.” She agreed, laughing.

  
That was when they heard the sirens. Barry acted first, seeing the speeding patrol car fly straight at them as it flew over the curb and on to the side walk where they stood. He moved without even realizing what he was doing, and knocked Iris out of the way as the black car and remaining cops raced by. He had tapped into his speed without even meaning to, his only intention being to save Iris.

  
“You okay?” He asked her breathlessly, only now recognizing what he had just done.

  
“I think so, yea. You good?”

  
Barry nodded. “I think I’m gonna go help them.” He whispered, “I’ve gotta do something. You almost got killed because of him. Besides, I saw his face as he sped past.”

  
“Wait, what? Barry—” Iris was cut off as he disappeared down the street in a blur of light. “Damn it.” She muttered, standing up and running in the direction her fiancé had just disappeared in.

  
By the time she caught of with him, the black vehicle was over turned in the road and the entire street was filled with a fog which was slowly clearing to reveal a dumb founded looking Barry standing in the middle of the street. Iris ran through the fog and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

  
“Bear, are you okay?” She began, her tone filled with worry.

  
“Yea, I’m fine.” He reassured her. “I’m okay.”

  
“Good.” She breathed out in relief. “What the hell happened?”

  
“I was just about to ask the same thing.” Said a new voice coming up behind them. The cops had finally caught up to the criminals car, it seemed.

  
………………………….

  
Joe had been called down to the scene after the cops identified Iris and Barry, which was a rather easy task since they worked with Barry and Iris was a frequent visitor to the station. The detective appeared to Iris to be exhausted, and perhaps even a little annoyed.

  
“Maybe the ‘fog’ was just smoke from the over turned car, Barry.” Sighed Joe.

  
The CSI shook his head. “No Joe, I know science and that was way to much smoke to be coming from an over turned car."

  
“If the engine busted, it could produce quite a lot of smo—”

  
“Enough smoke to fill up the entire street?” Barry asked sarcastically. “No. There was too much smoke for that. Besides, if it was the engine the smoke would have been black, not white. Trust me. This was fog, and it was coming from Mardon.”

  
“Barry, how many times am I going to have to tell you this?” Joe was definitely getting annoyed. “I don’t know who it was you saw in that car, but it certainly was not Clyde Mardon. Both of the Mardon brothers died that night when the particle accelerator exploded and you got struck by lightning.”

  
“Joe, I know what I saw, and it was definitely Mardon.”

  
“Then you saw wrong, Barry. Just like you did that night 15 years ago. You didn’t see Clyde Mardon in that car, just like you didn’t really see lightning in your house. There was no Clyde Mardon today, and there was no ‘man in yellow’ 15 years ago!” Joe was ranting.

“You were an 11 year old boy trying to cope with what you saw, and now you’re a young man who was struck by lightning and just woke up from a coma. You are having side-effects from the accident and nothing more. Now you are going to go see a doctor about this to check on your health, and stop talking this nonsense about men in yellow sui—”

  
“Dad, that is enough!” Iris yelled, effectively silencing her father. “That is more than enough!”

  
She had been giving her statement to Eddie about the incident and caught the end of her dad’s rant. She might have missed the beginning of his rant while she was speaking, but she had heard the end, and she was having none of it.

  
Joe, for his part, deflated immediately once his daughter began yelling at him. Iris was angry, and that anger was directed at him this time. He was stressed, and had been over worked these past few weeks. Maybe he had gone too far. He opened his mouth to apologize to both his daughter and future son in law, but Iris was already leading Barry away.

  
“You’re sure it was really Mardon?” Iris asked him softly, once they were far enough away that no one else could over hear their conversation.

  
“Yea.” He whispered, wiping at his eyes.

  
  _He’s crying,_ she realized.

  
“Then I believe you.” She assured him. “About all of it. What happened today, and what happened 15 years ago.”

  
Barry gave her a small smile and nodded. “Okay.”

  
“You and I know the truth, Bear. And I promise you, we’ll figure out a way to convince my dad and catch Mardon, and the man in yellow. We will. I believe in you.”

  
“At least one person does.” He told her sadly, pulling her against him and holding her close.

  
Iris returned the embrace. “I’ll always believe in you, Barry Allen.”


	6. First Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is gonna be another short chapter, cause it's been a while since I posted, and I really wanted to update for you guys. I'm hoping to update this story more often. So sorry for the delay. I love you guys! And I hope you enjoy this chapter.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Iris asked.

  
Barry had been trying to read some science article on a mutation on some strain of the flu for the past hour now. He had been staring at the same article for the past 45 minutes with a blank expression on his face, and Iris was beginning to grow concerned.

  
“Hm?” He hummed looking up at her, looking for all the world as if she had just woken him up from a deep sleep.

  
Iris sighed. “I said, ‘penny for your thoughts.’ Are you okay, Bear?”

  
He looked back down to the article on his phone for a brief moment, clearly not even attempting to read it, before giving his answer with a slow shake of his head. Iris merely raise a brow prompting him to explain.

  
“Do you think Dr. Wells was right?” He asked. “When he said I was just a man who was struck by lightning?”

  
There was a pause in the conversation as she considered how she should respond. “I think, in terms of stating facts he was right—you are a man, and you were struck by lightning. But, I also don’t think he knows you, Bear.”

  
He adjusted his position on the couch, turning slightly in order to face her, and set his phone on the table giving her his full attention. "What do you mean?”

  
Iris paused, carefully choosing her words. “I mean, you became a CSI because you wanted to use your natural skills to help people. You set your mind to doing that, and you have. And now, you are wanting to go out and risk your life to keep helping people in a whole new way. And I think that in all of the time I’ve known you, you always go out of your way to help people. That’s just who you are, it’s something your passionate about. And I have never once seen you back down on something you were passionate about, no matter what anybody else said.”

  
“I guess ignoring what others say is something we both have in common.” He teased with a laugh, remembering a time in college when Iris had taken a risk for an article and nearly given him a heart attack in the process.

  
Iris laughed and rolled her eyes, knowing full well that she couldn’t even deny the comment.

  
Barry sighed. “Look, I do wanna try and help people. I mean, what happened today with Mardon? The police, they can’t fight that. And I just keep thinking, that if the man in yellow had these powers and used them to hurt people—to kill my mom—then maybe, maybe I can use them to do something good. Maybe I can even use them to find and catch him? To get my Dad set free.”

  
He paused, and she nodded to let him know she understood, but didn’t respond any further. She knew he still had more that he needed to say. After another moment of silence he continued.

  
“But then I think that I could be wrong. What if I’m not suppose to use these powers to do something good? What if I screw up and make things worse, you know? What if Dr. Wells is right after all? Maybe I shouldn’t even try to do anything.”

  
Iris took both of his hands in hers. “As much as the idea of you going out their risking your life and me possibly losing you again scares the absolute hell out of me, I think you’re right that the cops can’t fight people like Mardon. And I think—no, I know—that your mom would be so proud of you for trying to turn such a horrible situation from your childhood into something good. And yea, you might screw up in the beginning, but I know you, Barry Allen. And once you set a goal for yourself, nothing stops you. Just, trust yourself to tell you the right thing to do on this one, and you’ll know.”

  
............................................

  
The couple stood around the work table in Cisco’s work room, with the engineer and medical biologist on either side of them. On the table there was a large pile of files spread out for the rooms occupants to see, and Barry was scanning over one of the files.

“These are all of the areas in the city effected by the particle accelerator explosion?” He asked in disbelief.

  
“We think so.” Caitlin answered. “It could be more, it could be less. We have no way of really knowing exactly how far the effects reached, but this is our best estimate.”

  
Iris peered over her fiancé’s shoulder at the file. “That’s over half of the city.” She muttered in disbelief.

  
“Yeah, we know.” Said the engineer sadly, his guilt evident. Iris reached over and put a comforting hand on her friends arm.

  
“It’s not your fault Cisco.” She told him. “There was a storm, it was a freak accident. I know you did everything that you could.”

  
He gave her a small smile in thanks. “Wonder how many people in the city ended up with powers like Barry did.”

  
“Unfortunately, there’s really no way to tell.” Caitlin said. “I mean, it’s not like we have some sort of… meta-human tracking device.”

  
“Meta-human?” Barry asked.

  
“It’s just a term.” The brunette doctor said. “It just seems easier to say. If we’re really doing this we can’t keep saying ‘people with super powers’ every time someone effected by the particle accelerator explosion commits a crime.”

  
“You guys are really gonna help me do this then?” The speedster asked, beginning to smile.

  
Iris looped an arm around his waist with a grin, Barry’s arm automatically draping around her shoulders. “You already know my answer, Bear.” She said grinning up at him.

  
“I suppose from a scientific and medical standpoint it could be illuminating.” Caitlin added in, rather reluctantly. “And if we really can help people while doing it, why not?”

  
The group turned to Cisco at the sound of his clap to see him rubbing his hands together eagerly. “This is about to be real fun. Can you imagine the sick tech I could make to help us do this?”

  
The couple and doctor laughed at their friends enthusiasm, Barry shaking his head in disbelief.

  
“Which reminds me,” Cisco continued, grinning like a maniac. “I think I might have somethin’ for you, Barry. Wait here.”

  
“Should I be worried?” He whispered to Iris as the engineer disappeared from the room.

  
“Yes. Terrified.” She laughed.

  
Caitlin rolled her eyes with a small smile, just as Cisco returned. He was pushing a tall—something—in front of him, a white tarp draped over top of it.

“Uh, what is that?” Iris asked, pointing at the large object on the wheeling cart.

  
“A gift for Barry.” Cisco announced with a proud grin. With a flourish, he pulled the heavy tarp away to reveal a red suit with gold trim—complete with a cowl to pull over a person’s head. “Voila!”

  
Barry arched a brow, Iris merely shrugged in confusion, and Caitlin tilted her head back forming a silent ‘oh’ with her lips in recognition.

  
Cisco heaved a heavy sigh, annoyed he had to explain. “Okay, well for starters, every hero needs a secret identity, and you my friend, are about to become a super hero.”

  
He still received blank stares, so he added on. “Second. Barry, science 101 here. Speed creates friction, and friction creates…?”

  
“Heat.” Barry replied, leaning his head back in understanding, realization dawning on him.

  
“Exactly!” Cisco exclaimed, excitedly. “I originally created this baby for the firefighters to wear, thought maybe giving back to the city might help repair S.T.A.R. Labs reputation after the whole—Well you know. So this baby is basically fire proof, which means you can run full speed and not burn all your clothes up.”

  
Caitlin smiled at the group. “No one wants to see a naked speedster.” She teased.

  
“I certainly wouldn’t mind.” The journalist muttered under her breath for Barry to hear, causing her fiancé to blush.


	7. Tornado

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye! Another update! Finally! I know, I'm horrible for taking so long to get this up. I'm so sorry you guys. I had a little bit of time today to finish writing this. I know it's short, but it's been so long I wanted to get something up for you guys tonight, and besides, it seemed like a cute, happy little ending point for the chapter. :) 
> 
> I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. Between school, work, and mental illness, it might be a while. My spring break is the first week of March, so I'm hoping to be able to get something up then, but I make no promises. I'll update again as soon as I can though, I promise! Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this story and being so patient. I love you all so much! You're support, comments, and kudos mean the absolute world to me and always put a smile on my face. 
> 
> And now, on with the chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think. :D

A blush tinged Barry Allen shook his head, as if trying to shake the rose pink from his cheeks. “Thanks, Cisco. So, how do we even begin to find Mardon now?”  

“We could reconfigure the Lab’s satellite to search atmospheric pressure changes in the city.” Caitlin suggested. “If he can control weather, then theoretically, the largest pressure change in the atmosphere would be located where Mardon is.”  

“Caitlin, my friend, you are a genius.” Cisco said, pointing a wagging finger at her and grinning as he ran past to tweak the satellite.  

Within the hour, the S.T.A.R. Labs crew had reconfigure the satellite and gotten a location on Mardon.  

“Well, you can’t say he’s not predictable.” Iris announced as she saw the location.  

Her fiancé looked at her in question. “What do you mean?”  

“That’s the same farm my dad and Chyre found him and his brother hold up in nine months ago.” She explained.  

“Surprise, surprise.” He said flatly before disappearing in a blur of light to change.  

“That will never stop being awesome.” Cisco grinned.  

A moment later Barry reappeared, fully dressed in his suit, cowl pulled back. He was looking rather nervous, in Iris’ opinion. Or perhaps those nerves were all her own fears? She couldn’t be sure.  

“Wish me luck, I guess.” Barry said, his voice shaking slightly with nerves as he reached to pull his mask over his face. They were both nervous, it would seem.  

“Good luck, man.” Cisco offered with a grin and double thumbs up.  

Caitlin nodded in agreement and offered a smile of her own. “We’ll be right here to help you out on coms if you need us, Barry.”  

The speedster nodded in acknowledgement before turning his attention to his fiancé, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere with out knowing he had her in his corner for support. He needed her. Iris walked towards him and enveloped him in her arms. He returned the embrace and held her close to him, and for a moment she just stayed in his arms, listening to the rapid beating of his heart. She slowly leaned back, her arms still around his waist, and looked up into his eyes. 

“Just, please be careful, Bear.” She said softly. “Be careful and come home to me. I just got you back, I can’t lose you again. I won't.”  

“Iris, I promise you. This isn’t good bye. I’ll be back.”  

She nodded, standing on her tip toes and leaning her head against his. “I love you, Barry Allen.”  

“I love you too, Iris West.” He whisper, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. 

And then he disappeared again in a gust of wind and light, leaving Iris to try her best to swallow down her fears until he came back home to her.  

 _And he would come back home to her. He had to._  

 **………………………..**  

 

Well the good news was that the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite had been right, and Mardon was there on the farm. Unfortunately, so was her dad and his partner, Eddie. Apparently something had happened to make her dad consider the possibility that Barry might have been right—about Mardon being alive at least, she highly doubted that her dad was ready to jump on board the people-can-control-the-weather-after-all ship just yet. He would need a lot more proof for that. Even worse still was the fact that by the time Barry had gotten to the farm, Mardon had managed to summon a tornado out of thin air. Needless to say, Iris was sufficiently terrified. That tornado was picking up speed, and fast. According to Cisco the rapidly growing twister was approaching an F4 category, and not only was her dad, Barry, and Eddie in its immediate proximity, but if that thing reached the city it could do  _a lot_  of damage.  

 _“What if I unravel it?”_ She heard Barry’s voice asking over the speaker.  

“How the hell to you plan on doing that?” Caitlin asked, baffled—which was exactly what Iris was thinking and feeling herself.  

 _“I’ll run around it in the opposite direction. Cut off it’s legs.”_  

He was wanting to get closer to that thing? Had he completely lost his mind? Maybe that lightning bolt had fried his brain a little more than she thought. “Barry, are you insane?” She yelled into the mic.  

Cisco, who had been furiously typing numbers into the keyboard, snatched the mic from her. “By my math you’d have to clock just over 700mph to do that, Barry.”  

“Your body might not be able to handle those speeds.” Caitlin informed him. “ You could die.”  

And there it was again, that deep heavy feeling that still some how felt hollow, just like that night in the hospital when the doctors told her that her fiancé had slipped into a coma. “No, Barry, absolutely not! I just got you back, and you promised me that you would come home to me.” 

 _“I know, but Iris if I don’t do this then people are going to die—including your dad and Eddie. I have to try.”_  He told her sadly, and she could hear the determination in his voice. There was no talking him out of this.  

She saw the little red dot on the screen that was Barry’s GPS fly forward, towards the tornado, and she jerked herself back from monitor. If Caitlin was right and he didn’t comes home to her… she was not going to watch him die. Iris found herself pacing across the cortex floors, biting at her nails. She was a bundle of nerves. What if something went wrong? What if Caitlin was right about his body not being able to handle those speeds? She really could not lose him again. She was faintly aware of the rooms occupants talking, could faintly hear the voices. Somewhere in that time Dr. Wells had joined them. She wasn’t sure when, and she didn’t particularly care. All she cared about was Barry, and having him come back home to her.  

Suddenly there was a sound that resembled an explosion, and Iris’ pacing stopped as she spun around in the direction of the computers at speeds that could probably rival Barry’s. The tornado had vanished from the display screen on the computer monitors. There was some indistinct noise, like someone was talking in the background, followed by a loud, sharp clap—a gunshot. Iris froze as the coms became eerily quiet. The silence seemed to stretch.  

“Barry!” She called into the mic, praying for a response. Silence greeted her, and so in a panic she repeated herself. “Barry!” 

Crackling, and then Barry’s voice filled the coms.  _“It’s over. I’m okay.”_  

“Oh thank God.” Iris said, letting out a little sob. He sounded out of breath, but he was talking, which meant that he was alive. She was so relieved she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to laugh or to cry. Apparently, her body decided that both options were equally appropriate. “Good. Come back home now before you give me another heart attack, yeah?”  

All of S.T.A.R. Labs occupants allowed themselves to breathe, Iris’ relief spreading to all of them.  There was a familiar breathless laugh on the coms, and in a matter of seconds Barry appeared behind Iris, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder.  

“Told you I’d come back to you.” He whispered.  

“You do realize that ‘until death do us part’ doesn’t actually apply until after we’ve said ‘I do’ right?” She asked, turning in his arms and looping her own around his waist. “Plus another 50 or so years after that.” 

 


	8. Fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this taking so long to update you guys. I'm horrible. But between work, classes, finals, and personal problems, working on this got kind of pushed aside. But I'm on Summer Break now!! So hopefully I'll be able to get a couple of chapters up before classes start back up again in August. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your love and support for this story. You're comments and encouragement are what make me want to continue this story. 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And please, leave me some Kudos and Comments to let me know what you think. :D

Iris paced the length of the S.T.A.R. Labs Cortex's floor, a habit which she had recently adopted these past two weeks and was quickly growing tired of. Why did her fiancé insist on putting himself in these situations? First, he gets himself hit by lighting and ended up spending  _nine months in a coma_ —which had scared the  _hell_  out of her—and then after being awake for barely even  _two days_  he had decided it would be a  _fantastic_ idea to run down a damn tornado, and ever since then he'd taken to running around the city and stopping muggers and rescuing people from fires—which continued to scare the absolute hell out of her. And now, the idiot had gotten the brilliant idea not to tell anyone that he'd apparently been having  _dizzy spells_  for the past _two weeks_ and not told  _anyone_ about it. Which is how they had ended up here, her pacing the floor for what must have been at least the twelfth time since Barry had woken up from his coma, and him lying unconscious in one of the S.T.A.R. Labs hospital beds while Cisco hooked him up to I.V Bag number 40.  

Honestly, if you're running faster than the speed of sound, you need to eat a lot more than your basic three meals a day. For such a smart scientist, he could be incredibly stupid sometimes. Why else would athletes always be told to eat more carbs and proteins? It was common sense really. And yes, Iris shared an apartment with him and could have probably asked if he was eating enough, but she wasn't always with him during the day when he was at work, and he was a grown man. She never thought making sure he was eating enough would be something she'd have to check on. Apparently, she would be from now on. And when he woke up, she was going to make damned sure he regretted not telling her or anybody else about getting dizzy every time he ran, and she was going to make damned sure he didn't do something so stupid again.  

A soft groan came from Barry’s direction and she spun around just as he sat bolt up right it his bed looking startled. “What happened?” he asked. “I passed out again?”  

“Total metabolic failure brought on by acute hypoglycemia.” Caitlin told him.  

“I'm not eating enough?” Barry asked skeptically. Of all the things that had happened these past two weeks and  _this_ is what he was skeptical about? “So an I.V bag and I’m good to go?”  

Cisco laughed. “Try 40.” 

“Guess you were thirsty.” Dr. Wells added with a small grin.  

“We’re going to need to fashion you a new diet based on your metabolic changes.” Caitlin said.  

“I’ve done a few calculations.” Cisco said with a grin, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You need to consume an amount equal to roughly 850 tacos. Unless we’re talking cheese and guac, which is like, a whole other set of equations.”  

Barry snorted a laugh as Cisco went to go factor cheese and guac into his math. The speedster glanced up and caught a glimpse of his fiancé standing in the door way. She was leaning against the frame of it with her arms crossed, fixing him with a glare.  

“I’ll give you two a minute alone.” Caitlin announced before making her exit.  

Iris unfolded her arms and walked towards him, looking worried. “How are you feeling, baby? Are you okay?”  

“Yeah.” He said softly, nodding for confirmation.  

“Good.” She said before getting stern again. “Then what the hell is wrong with you?” she demanded, each word punctuated with a new slap to his arm.  

"Ah!" He said, stepping back. "What did I—" 

"Why the hell didn't tell anybody you were having dizzy spells when you used your powers?" She yelled at him. "I swear, Barry Allen, I'm starting to think you've got some sort of a death wish!" 

"Iris—" he tried again, but she was having none of it.  

"And, how stupid are you to not think, 'Hey my metabolism is working faster, maybe I should eat more!' It's common sense." 

"I didn't know—" 

"That's why you always hear athletes talking about eating carbs and protein before big games or competitions. I mean honestly, for a scientist, you can be really dense sometimes, you big idiot! And, this you scaring me half to death thing is getting to be a real habit of yours Bartholomew, and I have to say, I for one am really  _not_  a fan of it!"  

"Iris," he began before pausing, making sure he was safe to speak without being interrupted again. "Iris, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to scare you, I really just... didn't think about it I guess. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm so sorry." 

Barry reached out to her, placing his hands on her shoulders as he spoke, making sure to look her in the eyes as he spoke before pulling her into his embrace, holding her against him. She allowed herself to lean into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You have got to break this new habit of yours, Bear." She whispered. "I don't think my heart can take much more of it." 

………………………………………………………… 

Caitlin dabbed at the cuts on Barry’s face with an alcohol soaked cotton swab she had pitched between a pair of medical tweezers and he winced at the contact. “Sorry.” The brunette doctor said gently. “The abrasions are already rapidly healing.”  

“Yeah, I got my ass handed to me.” Barry replied bitterly.  

Cisco chose that moment to attempt to break up the tention in the room. “You got blood on my suit.” The engineer was deep in the process of removing the a aforementioned blood stains.  

“I think some of it belongs to him.” The speedster snapped back, clearly unhappy with the results of the confrontation. “Another not-so-friendly meta-human.”  

The screen in the room flashed open to an image of a man, who Dr. Wells introduced to them as Danton Black—a biogeneticist who specializes in cloning. Barry and the rest of the scientist began running theories so fast that Iris could barely keep up with their thought process and who said what, but the running theory seemed to be that his self-duplicating abilities were likely a result of self-experimentation during the particle accelerator explosion. Barry seemed to be retreating into himself, though she suspected that no one else noticed the change in his character and mannerisms, but they didn’t know him the way she did. What they did notice, however, was when he abruptly began walking swiftly towards the door.  

“Where are you going?” Caitlin asked.  

“I’m in way over my head.” He told her. Iris noticed that his hands were trembling ever so slightly. Whatever had happened today during that fight must have really shaken him. “Yeah, I’m fast, but I am no warrior. I mean I could barely fight one meta-human, let alone six.”  

Dr. Wells made an attempt to comfort him, to reasure him, but even Iris knew it was a poor attempt and could tell it wouldn’t work. He’d said that today was a set back. Her fiancé had been hurt, and was visibly shaken by what had happened, and he called it a setback?  

“This wasn’t a grand enterprise, Dr. Wells.” Barry said—because yes, the man had said that about Barry’s situation too. “This was a mistake.”  

With that declaration the speedster turned back towards the door and disappeared from the room, leaving the remaining occupants to stare after him. 

“I’ll go talk to him.” Iris decided. “Make sure he’s okay.” And she too left the room.  

She finally caught up to her fiancé in the hallway near the elevators, softly placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Bear.” She began gently. “How about we head to Jitters, grab some coffee and something to eat?”  

She was rewarded by a small smile as he nodded gratefully.  

………………………………………………………… 

Four lattes and 6 plates of food later—only one plate had actually been hers, the lattes on the other hand were a different story—she finally decided to broach the subject again. “So what happened out there today, Bear.” Iris asked him gently. “You seemed pretty shaken up back there.” 

“It was nothing, Iris.” He said, giving a forced smile before looking down at his empty plate. “I’m okay.”  

She raised her brow and fixed him with a look that clearly said  _‘I’m calling bullshit.’_  He sighed in defeat and she had to hold back a grin at the fact that she could still get to him with that look, even after so many years. 

“Three of his copies nearly shot me today.” He said blankly, and at the flash of panic that crossed her face he quickly added, “But I sped out before they pulled the triggers.”  

 Iris sighed in relief and gestures for him to continue.  

“I’ve felt weak before, Iris.” He began. “My whole life. You know that. But now that I have these powers, for the first time I felt like maybe I wasn’t as weak as I had always thought I was. But then today, I don’t think I’ve ever felt weaker.”  

“I can run faster than the speed of sound,” he said, with a bitter laugh, “But as fast as I am, he still got the better of me. And if I can stop one super powered guy, then how am I suppose to help anybody?”  

“And by 'anybody' you mean your dad, don’t you?” Iris asked him quietly.  

“Yeah.” He said back in a voice so quiet that she almost missed it. “I thought that I finally had a way of saving him, of getting him out of prison and catching the person who  _really_  killed my mom. But I can’t catch someone else as fast as me, fight them, if I can’t stop Danton Black. Maybe I can't help anyone—especially not my dad.”  

They both sat in silence for a moment as Iris considered his words and formed a response. “You saved me.” She said. 

Barry raised a brow, confused.  “What?”  

“You saved me, Barry.” She repeated. “When that cop car almost crashed into me a couple of weeks ago. You saved that security guard at the awards ceremony yesterday. You saved those cops and everyone in the precinct that first day you woke up—before you even knew about your powers. You saved Eddie and  _my_   _dad_ that night at the farm house, and then half the city by unraveling that tornado.” 

“You’ve already saved a lot of lives, Barry.” She told him. “And you are going to save so many more, including your dad's. Because you know what every single one of those examples had in common, Barry? You. You trusted your instincts, and did what you felt was right. You trusted yourself. And maybe things didn’t go well today, because you didn’t have all of the facts. You didn’t know what Danton Black could do. But you know now, and the next time you face him, you’ll win. I have faith in you, Barry Allen,  and you need to have faith in yourself too.”  


	9. A Matter of Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was a rough chapter for poor Barry. And it has more hurt/comfort and sad in it than I was planning. But there are cute moments in it too, I promise! Hopefully the next chapter should be a lot more lighthearted. 
> 
> Please leave some kudos and comments to let me know what you think! :D

To say that she had been surprised when she and Barry first arrived in the cortex to see a motionless Danton Black standing in front of them would be a bit of an understatement. She had screamed and jumped back, while Barry moved in front of her to protect her and took up a fighting stance before, Caitlin began reassuring them that it was okay. It wasn’t really Black, the brunette explained, but one of his clones that she had grown by isolating the blood samples from Barry’s suit and adding a protein gel.  

“Why isn’t he—it—doing anything?” Barry asked, poking at, and waving his hand in front of, the replica with a look of uncertainty. Iris had to admit that she agreed with him.  

“We did a brain scan.” Said Dr. Wells. “Involuntary motor functions are active, little else.” 

“We think it’s acting as a receiver.” Cisco added.  

“The clones are an empty shell without Black.” Caitlin finished. “Shut down the real Black, and you might shut them all down.”  

Iris smiled, nudging her fiancé with her arm. “See. All you ever needed was to have all of the information.”  

He returned her smile, playfully bumping his shoulder against her. “What was that thing you said about having faith in myself?”  

“Exactly that.” She answered with a soft smile.  

He turned his attention back to Caitlin, and the super-powered criminal that was still on the loose. “How do we know which one is the real Danton Black?” 

“That occurred to me giving your own passing out.” She explained. “Black has limits, just like you. Controlling all of those clones must require a tremendous amount of physical strength. So look for the one showing signs of weakness, or fatigue. He’s the prime.”  

“Just a theory,” said Dr. Wells. “But one you might want to put to the test, Mr. Allen.”  

It was then that Iris caught a glimpse of movement out of the coroner of her eyes to her left. Caitlin screamed, not unlike Iris had earlier, and jumped back as the clone began moving towards her.  

“Like hell you are.” She muttered, grabbing the glass-blown paper-weight from the desk—Caitlin had gotten it to ‘Barry-proof' her paperwork—and stepped forward, bring it down hard against Black's head with a resounding crack. The clone immediately crumpled to the floor, unconscious. “Okay, if that thing just woke up, then we need to find the real Black, ASAP.” 

“Agreed.” Said Cisco. “I can hack into the police radio at the CCPD, see what they’ve got coming in.”  

“Or we could just check the police scanner?” Iris pointed out.  

Cisco pouted, flipping the scanner on. “Or we could do that. Killjoy.”  

………………………………  

So far, the super powered criminals were 0-2 in the originality department, and Iris had to wonder if they were ever going to meet a meta-human criminal who wasn’t predictable. Mardon had gone back to the same farm he and his brother had used to hideout in, even though they had already been found there once. Black had attacked Simon Stagg's award ceremony and killed his head of security. Of course his real target would be Staff himself. Predictable.  

Barry, had made it to Stagg Industries quickly enough, and just in time to pull the man out of the way of Black. She could hear his voice coming through the intercom now, and though it sounded like he was trying to empathize and reason with Black, Iris suspected that he was just buying time until his could spot the ‘prime' as Caitlin had called him.  

 _“I know Stagg stole your research,_ _”_ he said. “ _B_ _ut that doesn’t give you the right to murder.”_  

There was the clear sound of a gun being fired and the familiar sound of a ‘whoosh’ which she now associated with her fiancé. She heard Black's voice in the background, his words mostly muffled by the distance and the coms. There was a thud and a grunt as someone got shoved up against one of the concrete pillars.  

 _“…bout Elizabeth._ _”_  Black said. Iris was only catching snippets of the conversation, but she tried her best to follow it.  _“…my wife._ _”_  

She could hear Black firing his gun again, and Barry's ‘whoosh’ as he dodged the bullets. Iris watched as the little red dot that was his GPS zipped back and fourth across the screen in a variety of zig-zag patterns, and Iris couldn’t help but be reminded of an old fashion pin ball game, like the one she had played on her computer as a kid.  

 _“_ _She…_ _Degenerative…Disease.”_ Black was saying.  _“_ _Transplant list…_ _Time…Running out…_ _Couldn’t_ _get_ _…Heart…”_  

Barry finished it that line of thought for him.  _“You were going to grow her one.”_  

The meta-humans garbled reply came, distorted through the speakers.  _“_ _So close…S_ _tagg stole…_ _Research_ _…Glory…_ _Bury my best friend_ _.._ _._ _Alone._ _”_  

It was broken up and choppy, but Iris could follow it well enough. This man’s wife had had some sort of degenerative heart disease and Black had been trying to create her a new heart through cloning in order to save her. But Stagg had stolen all of his research, taken credit for it, and then fired him. Black had been trying to save his wife and instead he had been forced to bury her. Iris' heart went out to this man. She had to admit that, while she disagreed with his methods, she understood his anger. She couldn’t blame him for it in the slightest bit. If she were in his place, she would raise hell too. There was no denying that.  

Barry was her best friend, and the pain she’d felt while he was in his coma for nine months had been unbearable, but at least she’d had hope that he would wake up. And thankfully, he had. But if she didn’t have that hope, if she’d been told that her best friend was gone forever and she’d never get him back? Especially if she knew that someone could have saved him and they did nothing? Iris absolutely understood exactly where Danton Black was coming from.  

She could hear Barry’s yells through the intercom accompanied by a repeated and rhythmic pounding sound. Black punching him, she assumed, and a whoosh as Barry got out of dodge.  

“Remember Barry,” Caitlin said from her seat besides her. “Find the prime.”  

 _“There’s too many of them to fight.”_ He said, out of breath, likely from being punched repeatedly.  

“Barry,” Dr. Well said in his patient tone. “You need to isolate the prime.”  

 _“I can’t._ _It’s impossible.”_  

Iris shook her head, dumbfounded by his lack of confidence in himself. “Says the man who has spent his life looking for the impossible.” She told him. “Your powers are pretty impossible too, but you still have them. I know you can do this, Barry. Just have faith in yourself.” 

There was silence on the come for a moment, Barry’s breathing being the only thing being fed back to them, before he let out a shout. Looking at the monitor, Barry’s GPS seemed to be zipping forward in a more controlled pattern before shifting into a mostly straight path. “Looks like he found our target.” She whispered. Caitlin looked at her with a smile and a nod, apparently coming to the same conclusion.  

The room heard a clank come though them, and the coms went silent again aside from Barry’s heavy breaths, the GPS staying in place. Maybe the Caitlin and Dr. Wells might not have picked up on it, but Iris could have sworn that she heard a breath relief filled laugh, and one look at Cisco’s wide grin as he turned towards her told her that he’d heard it too. He and Barry had been best friends since college, after all. He knew her fiancé almost as well as she did.  

“Barry?” Iris asked calmly. She knew he was alright, but it was a standard question. “Barry are you okay?” 

 _“I’m fine._ _”_ He said, almost in disbelief at the fact that he had done it.  _“I’m fine. It’s done.”_  

His sentence was almost immediately punctuated by the sound of glass shattering nearby, and suddenly Iris was getting anxious at the thought of Barry being the one injured. “Barry?” She called into the mic. 

 _“Hang on!”_ was Barry’s response. It took her a moment and a muffled  _“no”_ from Black to realize that he wasn’t talking to them.  _“Don’t.”_ her fiancé pleaded, and Iris wished she knew what was happening on his end. They really needed better visual than just the GPS and the buildings floor plans.  

There was a long pause of silence after that. So long that she was beginning to panic, and one look around the room told her everyone else was getting worried too. “Barry?” She repeated softly.  

 _“I’m coming back.”_  

His voice sounded strained, like he’d been crying.  

…………………………………… 

When Barry got there his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, his jaw clenched, and his skin was flushed. He'd definitely been crying. Before anyone else in the cortex could see, she rushed over and took Barry by the arm ushering him back out the door and a few paces down the hall before stopping. “Figured you didn’t want everyone seeing you cry.” 

He gave her a grateful smile, leaning down and burring his face in her hair, and holding her close to him. She wrapped her arms around him and gently ran her hands up his back and along the male of his neck. She didn’t ask what had happened. Be could tell them later when he was ready to talk about it. And besides, seeing how upset he is, and based on what she heard over the coms, she figured she had a pretty good guess as to what had happened—in fact they all probably did. The glass that they heard shattering was probably Danton Black crashing through one of the high up windows, and the muffled exchange had been Barry trying to save him. But from what she heard, it seemed like he hadn’t wanted to be saved.  

She didn’t say anything to comfort him. What could she say? Sometimes when someone was hurting, the best thing you can do for them is to just let them cry and be there to hold them up until they can stand on their own again. And that was exactly what Iris did.  


	10. Risky Buisness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty short chapter by comparison... But the next part of the episode is going to take a lot of creative liberty and finagaling to write so... Please be patient and bare with me. I'm going to try and get the next chapter up with in the next week or two. 
> 
> But in the mean time, please enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> Also, please note that neither this not the last chapter have been proofread or edited yet. I will edit out any typos and mistakes soon. 
> 
> Please leave some kudos and comments and tell me what you think. I'd love to talk! :)

Iris proof read what she had written so far on her laptop. She wanted to make sure it was perfect, or as perfect as it could be. She had always been a perfectionist, and when she was in college her professors all had developed the habit of reminding her that, “as a writer it will never be perfect, no matter how excellent it is, it can always be improved.” She’d always hated that saying, but she knew they had been right. Though for a first draft, this felt like a perfect example.

It had been a while since she had really written anything—sure she had sold a few pieces she’d done freelance, but nothing had ever come of it. And with Barry being in a coma for nine months and then waking up with super speed, she had put her writing career in hold for a little while so that she could be there for him. Writing again after so much time felt really good, especially when it was something that she was passionate about.

  
Picking up her laptop she hopped down from her stool at the kitchen counter and plopped herself down beside her fiancé on the couch. “I wanted to run something by you.”

  
He looked up at her and paused whatever show he had been watching so that she had his full attention. “Alright, I’m listening. What’s up?”

  
“Well, I wrote something—”

  
“That’s awesome!” he said, giving her one of his signature smiles that she was convinced were made of pure sunshine. He seemed to be just as exited to see her getting back into something she loved as she was to actually do it.

  
“And I wanted to talk to you about it first, and get your opinion.”

  
He nodded, fully turning to face her now. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  
“I think that people have a right to know what’s going on in the city. We have had two criminals pop up now with meta abilities, and I can guarantee that there will be more. I think that people should know, so that they can be prepared better if something happens.”

  
She paused a moment, trying to gauge his reaction, but it seemed that he was perfectly content to just sit and listen to everything she had to say before giving any sort of feedback. She loved that he wanted to hear all of her arguments before making and opinion but she would appreciate a sign about where he was leaning at the present moment at the very least.

  
“And not only the criminals,” she continued. “There’s probably people out there discovering abilities who just want to live a normal life. People who might not know what’s happening to them and are probably scared. And I think that they deserve and explanation.” 

She paused again, and he still gave her no reply. “And people aren’t stupid Barry. They’ve already started to notice you running around out there. They’re posting about you online, even gave you a name. They’re calling you The Streak.”

  
That got a reaction out of him. His nose wrinkled up in disgust—but for such a disgusted look, it was so cute on him. “The Streak? Really?”

  
Iris couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, I think it has pizazz!”

  
“It sounds like I’m running across the football field naked.”

  
“I wouldn’t mind having that view.” She laughed. He blushed furiously and joined in, laughing with her. “But honestly, that’s just another reason why I should start writing about this. Think about it. If I start writing about this, then it would be a chance for me to give your new superhero persona an actual name. One that you actually like. Look, I know it’s a big risk but just… promise me you’ll think about it okay? Please?”

  
“I promise I’ll think about it.” He told her, and she grinned. “So, did you bring your laptop over here for show or are you going to let me read this thing?”

  
“Don’t I always?” She asked, smiling as she passed the device over to him.

  
.......................................

  
It had probably been for the best that she’d had to work a shift at Jitters and wasn’t there in Barry’s lab with him and Caitlin when he’d run off to the mall during the gas attack. And it had definitely been for the best that she hadn’t been there in S.T.A.R. Labs when he crashed into the desk, gasping and wheezing, his lungs filled with what ever poisonous gas this new meta had the ability to transform into. If she had been there, she would have panicked, and it would have only made things much worse than they already were. But Cisco had texted her what had happened as soon as Caitlin had extracted the gas from his system, and the second she got off work, she got in her car and drove over—well aware that she’d gone a good 15 miles over the speed limit, at least, the whole way there.

Currently, she was sitting in a chair besides Barry, running her fingers through his soft brown hair and waiting for him to wake up. Slowly, his eyes fluttered opened, and he looked around the room trying to focus his vision.

  
Cisco, who had been standing across the room from her and was leaning against the wall keeping an eye on his best friend, perked up and grinned. “The Streak lives.”

  
Barry groaned in response to that. Whether it was from pain or the use of the name the public had been using for his alter-ego, she couldn’t tell.

  
“You’d be dead if your lung cells didn’t regenerate so quickly.” Caitlin said, walking in from the next room at hearing Barry was awake.

  
Her fiancé groaned again. “My chest feels like that one time I had a cigarette.” At the brunette doctors confused expression he added, “Yeah. Teen me lived for danger.”

  
“I’ve been told by his family that he turned green that day.” Iris said, fingers still trailing through his hair. “And that he spent the night in the bathroom getting sick.”

  
Cisco laughed, apparently finding the mental image of that to be hilarious. “Only you, man.”

  
“But in all seriousness, are you okay, Bear?” She asked him.

  
“I’m good, Iris.” He said, reaching up and taking her hand. “Little sore, maybe. But I’m good. I promise.”

  
“Yeah, you’d better be.” She said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his lips. “Because if you’re not, I’ll kill you myself for lying about it.”

  
He laughed, a quiet laugh through his nose, and brought her hand to his mouth kissing her palm. “I don’t doubt that for a second.”


	11. Support Systems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So classes started up again, plus work, which mean my life is about to be really busy and hectic. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I can update again, but in the mean time, please enjoy this chapter! :D 
> 
> Leave some kudos and comments and let me know what you think!

She had tried calling her dad five times now, and each time it went straight to voice mail. She was trying her best not to think the worst, but considering what they knew, she was starting to panic and Barry’s pacing made it very apparent that he was getting scared too. She remembered that case, when her dad had arrested Kyle Nimbus. She remembered all too clearly the wild look in that man’s eyes as he say in the court room, the eerie calm he had exuded as he swore that each and every person who had wronged him would suffer—be it by his hand or the hand of fate. Something about that man had always made her feel uneasy, and now he had been gifted a deadly power to wield. And that alone was a frightening though, but knowing that he was targeting her dad? That terrified her. 

“Maybe I should try Eddie.” Barry suggested. “Their partners. He’s gotta know where your dad is, right?” 

 Iris nodded. It was the best she could manage with her dad’s life in danger. It was a good idea, and probably the best option they had. Luckily, Eddie did answer. 

“Eddie do you know where Joe is?” Barry asked, pausing to listen to the detectives response. “Please. It’s important.” A moment later and he was thanking the man on the other end of the call before hanging up. 

“Well?” Iris asked, her voice cracking from nerves. 

He sighed. “He went back to the original crime scene where they found the Darbinyan Crime Family to check for any evidence they might have missed the first time.” 

So an isolated area where no one would see anything.  _Fantastic._ Although, considering that Nimbus had attacked the judge in the elevator of a public shopping mall, she doubted even a public place would have given her any reassurance that her dad was going to be safe. She must have been looking especially panicked, because the next thing she knew Barry’s face was all she could see, and his warm and gentle hands were firmly gripping her shoulders. 

“Iris, it’s going to be okay. I swear to you, I’m not going to let anything happen to him. I’m going to make sure he’s safe.” 

She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. She trusted Barry. If he said he wouldn’t let anything happen to her dad, she had to trust that he wouldn’t. At that moment, Caitlin came out of her office holding a metal instrument with a glass vile filled with a red liquid resting at the top—a syringe. 

“I reverse engineered an anecdote to the toxin.” the brunette said, passing the syringe to Barry. “I pray you won’t need it.” 

He took it and nodded gratefully, turning his focus back to Iris. “I have to go, okay? I promise you, I’m gonna bring him back home safe.” 

“Okay.” She said, nodding. She trusted Barry, she always had and she always would. 

He placed a quick, gentle kiss on her cheek before disappearing to keep his promise, leaving Iris blinking the flash of light from her eyes. 

…………………………………

 _“No, Joe!”_ was the first thing that came back through the coms when Barry got there. Needless to say, Iris started panicking. 

“Barry, what’s going on? Is my dad okay?” 

 _“He's alive.”_ he said.  _“But he’s_ _unconscious_ _and seizing._ _I’m giving him the_ _antidote_ _now.”_

Caitlin sighed. “That was the only one that I made, Barry. Please be careful with Nimbus. You might heal quickly, but your not invisible, and I don’t exactly want to chance it.”

“Yeah, none of us do.” Cisco said, turning the mic to himself and way from Caitlin. “So I’m gonna ask you nicely. Please don’t die on us you idiot.” 

 _“Don’t worry. I know what I’m up against now. I’ll be careful._ _”_ he said. There was a gasp from his end.  _“He’s awake.”_

The group in the cortex heard a muffled,  _“…The hell…?”_ in Joe’s voice. 

“Oh thank God.” Iris whispered. “Okay, Bear, you need to find Numbus now that we know my dad's going to be okay.” She could already hear the familiar  _whoosh_  sound before she’d even finished her sentence.

 _“Agreed. Call 911, tell them to send an_ _ambulance here.”_  

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Iris rushed to grab her phone and dial 911, stepping out into the hallway for quiet. 

As she left the room, she was able to catch what Caitlin was saying. “Barry, whatever you do, do not breathe him in.” 

 _He’s in good hands._ She reminded herself as the dispatcher answered the phone. “ _911, what’s your emergency.”_

………………………………………

Apparently, “The Mist” as Cisco had nicknamed him, was much easier to bring in than any of them really thought. All it took was some running and dodging skills on Barry’s part until Nimbus needed to reform and stabilize—Caitlin had been right about that theory, of course—and a well aimed speed-punch to bring him down.  Their first ever ‘guest’ was not nearly as impressed with his new home as the team was—and yes, she did consider them to be a team now. 

“Will it hold?” Caitlin asked, sounding very wary. Not that Iris could blame her.

Presently, Nimbus was alternating between his gaseous and solid forms, desperately trying to find a weak point in the cell and escape. 

“The barrier is powered by an 8.3 Tesla superconducting electromagnet which is about 100,000 times the strength of Earth's magnetic field.” Cisco explained, all focus on the gas filling the cell. 

“An other words, yes.” Dr. Wells simplified, and Iris couldn’t help but be grateful. Nimbus yelled in frustration from his cell. “Hmm.” Dr. Wells added with a sarcastic tone. “He’s mad. Well, goodnight.” 

The man pressed a button on the wireless tablet hooked up to his chair and a door closed, blocking their view of the their ‘guest.’ As the group began filtering out—aside from Cisco and Caitlin, who seemed to have something to discuss privately—Barry pulled her aside in the hall. 

“What’s up, Bear?” She asked, casually. 

“I just realized, I never really told you what I thought.” He said. “About your story, and you writing about what’s going on in the city.” 

She tilted her head back to look up at him—because she  _always_  had to look up at him. “And?” She asked hopefully. 

“And, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should do it. And you have my full support, Iris.”

“Really?” She said, smiling. 

“Yeah. I mean, look at what happened today.” He said. “Nobody would have ever considered the possibility of Nimbus being the gas murderer. Everyone thought he was dead. No one would think to look at that case and make the connection. We wouldn’t have even made the connection if we hadn’t gotten a hold of that has sample.”

“That’s an interesting way of saying, ‘extracted from my lungs before I died.’”

He snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. “Not the point. Look, what I’m trying to say is, its not gonna fix the problem of people know, but at least they’ll be better prepared for it. People have the right to know.” 

She couldn’t help it. She was excited, and her little bouncy hop was an involuntary reaction to her joy. She threw her arms around him in a fierce hug, which he gladly returned, laughing and kissing the top of her head. “Thank you. Now,” she declared pulling out of the embrace. “I’m going to go grab some quotes from the team before we head out. For the story.” 

She didn’t wait for his response before she took off down the hallway, her excitement getting the better of her. All Barry could do was shake his head and laugh at her enthusiasm as he followed behind her. 


End file.
